Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails
by Yesm777
Summary: Eli's brother comes for an unwelcome visit, only to reveal that he's placed Eli into a tough situation. Can they work together to fix the problem? Or is their relationship too dead to make it work? Perhaps there will be some Loker boys whump.
1. Tough Brotherly Love

_**Disclaimer: I do not own "Lie to Me." **But I do own Liam Loker. :)_

_Author's Note: Okay, here's a new story. I thought I'd try and create Eli's brother and make a tale out of him. :) Hope it works out...please read. :D_

_

* * *

_**1. Tough Brotherly Love**_  
_

Liam Loker walked into The Lightman Group. He walked with his usual confident swagger, despite the fact that his brother was favored more by his parents than him and that his life wasn't anything a person would idolize. Liam ignored the fact that the family, extended included, saw his visits as bad news and ill fortune and instead of seeing everything his brother had as something to envy, he saw it all as an opportunity. Today he was smiling as he approached the receptionist, his bad boy demeanor oddly charming the young woman.

"Is Eli Loker in?" he asked in a smooth voice, entrancing her as she stared up at him in surprise, like she had never seen a man before.

"Y-yes, he's in the analysis room. It's that door right over there." she answered, pointing in the correct direction without moving her eyes off of him. She knew he was not the type of guy she should pursue, but looking wouldn't hurt anything.

"Thanks." he muttered and headed away from the desk. He stopped in front of the door to the analysis room and peeked inside, smirking as he saw his little brother slaving away on the computer. Sure, Eli went to MIT and his parents praised him endlessly for it; but, Liam thought it looked like the most boring job ever. Who would want to waste time in college and then spend their lives typing and doing computer things? It didn't matter what his brother did, to be honest; he only cared if the job made Eli money. The kind of money that could get Liam out of bigger jams than other family members could provide for.

He opened the door with a dazzling grin.

"Still wearing plaid collar shirts with sweater vests, huh? I'd say you're a nerdy lumberjack."

Eli froze and turned slowly to look at his brother.

"Liam." he sighed. "What do I owe this unpleasant pleasure?"

"Hey, can't a guy visit his baby brother?" Liam asked, sitting on the top of Eli's desk.

"Don't…do that." Eli ordered, irritation starting to settle in. "You can't just sit on my desk."

"Well, I am." Liam stated, scooting further into the surface. "Hey, do you have any money I can borrow?" Eli eyed him suspiciously, tracing Liam's innocent smile with distaste.

"How much are we talking about here? A few bucks for a bus ticket to get out of my life? Or are we talking about a few quarters to call an old girlfriend to pick you up?" Eli inquired without a flinch. He gazed up at his sibling with a look of dread as he waited for what came next.

"I'm thinking more along the lines of twenty-thousand to pay off a debt." Liam replied casually, shrugging.

"What? No! No way. I don't have that kind of money." Eli refused immediately, shaking his head rapidly. "Get a job and earn it fairly like most people."

"Yeah…about that. I already told the boys you had the money. So…you're gonna have to pay up." Liam replied, examining his nails with an unbothered expression. Eli was shocked and his mouth hung open while he sluggishly processed the information. Liam leaned forward and looked straight into his brother's eyes.

"I know you have the money, bro. I know you and I know that you save away a good amount of green just in case." Liam whispered. Eli's face worked through several expressions: anger, fear, sorrow, panic.

"I'm going to die." he gasped, standing up from his chair and pacing with a hand through his wavy hair. "Holy crap, I can't breathe." Eli's lungs pumped for air as the stress and horror slipped through his body. "I can't breathe. I can't breathe. I can't breathe."

"Hey, buddy, just get me the money and I'll be out of here." Liam explained, a humored smirk on his face while he watched his brother wrangle his hyperventilating.

"No, you don't understand, Liam. I. Don't. Have. The. Money!" Eli shouted, his hands wound in his hair as he realized his brother set up his doom.

"What are you talking about? You graduated from MIT, remember? You work for the best lie detection thingy of, like, anywhere." Liam scoffed, failing to see the problem.

"That doesn't matter! For awhile I've been an unpaid intern, you son of a-!" Eli yelled, holding his hands in front of him in an exemplary strangle hold. He stopped mid sentence to calm down, breathing deeply and closing his eyes. "I am living off of my savings, you idiot." Liam pondered what this meant and he was starting to feel something like guilt and fear for his younger brother.

"How much money do you have left in there?" he asked, somewhat quietly. Eli sighed and threw up his hands.

"I've only got about five grand." Eli answered, hysteria creeping into face.

"Then you have five grand to cough up." Liam replied nonchalantly. Eli looked at him with a death glare.

"I am going…to _kill you!_" Eli shouted, grabbing his brother by the collar.

* * *

Ria walked down the hall wearily. For some reason, it was just one of those days where she was tired and dragging all day. She glanced to look into the analysis room, just to see if Eli was still in there. Ria continued walking…

Then stopped and backed up.

Eli—the calm, contention-avoiding researcher she remembered—was angrily holding a man by the collar of his shirt, looking as if he was shouting very filthy profanities with as much vigor as he could possibly muster. She couldn't get past how much the two men looked alike, only one looked like he could pack a gun while Eli looked like the peaceful guy he was.

"Um…Heidi?" Ria asked as she neared the receptionist.

"Yes?"

"Does Eli have a visitor today?" she continued, glancing behind her as if she expected one of the two to burst out of the door at any second.

"Oh, yeah! I think it might be his brother, or at least some family; they have the same last name. Isn't he gorgeous?" Heidi squealed, putting her face in her hands and leaning her elbows on the desk.

"His brother? Really?" Ria whispered, meandering away again and towards the analysis room. She observed the two through the window, staring as Eli turned away with a hand over his face and another on his hip. His brother watched him with uninterested eyes, adjusting his shirt and smoothing out the sleeves of his jacket. Eli turned around again, staring at his sibling with extreme rage as his lips pursed in his fury. One of his hands was held up, shaking his index finger at the other man while he glared with poisonous eyes. Ria never imagined Eli to be one to shout, but his statement was projected so loudly that the words were heard clearly through the door.

"I _loathe_ you, Liam!" he yelled, catching the other man by surprise. Ria took a deep breath as she pushed the door open and prepared herself from stopping a murder. If Eli was _this _mad, he was seriously pissed.

"Oh, come on, E. You have never hated me in your whole life." Liam chuckled, acting as if Ria wasn't even there.

"Don't call me 'E!' It's _Eli _and I seriously wish I was born into a different family right now!" Eli argued. "One that didn't set me up for freakin' _death traps_! When I'm dead, you can be the one to tell mom and dad that you finally killed me this time!"

"I have never put you in any sort of danger that would kill you, E. Stop over exaggerating." Liam replied with a grin.

"Oh really?" Eli challenged, stepping closer to his brother menacingly. "How about that one time you dared me to climb over the fence into old man Thomas's junkyard?"

"Don't be stupid; you're alive, aren'tchya?"

"He was practically blind! He thought I was a raccoon and he _shot at me_!"

Ria found herself watching the argument with intense curiosity.

"Maybe he thought you'd make a great hat." Liam joked, laughing a little.

"That is _not_ funny! Or how about the time you pushed me into the pool just to see what would happen?"

"Well, hey, you should've learned how to doggy paddle automatically."

"I was four and it was a twelve-foot deep pool! Then there was the time that you convinced me to sword fight with real knives; or the time you duct taped me to a long board and rolled me down that steep hill, right into the gravel; and when you used me for target practice when you tried to shoot an apple off my head with a bb gun; the time you told me to gun it on a dirt bike and I crashed; the time we stood in the snow in only boxers as part of a competition; then that one time—"

"Okay, I got it." Liam grumbled. "But you thought all those things were fun, don't tell me you didn't." He got a mischievous smile on his face.

"Because you were my older brother! I trusted you! Then I got smart and I stayed away from you and your adrenaline rushes. I'm not about to jump into them again." Eli growled. "I have something good going for me and you had to come and ruin it!"

"Um, Eli, what makes you think your brother's going to kill you?" Ria asked, looking between the two brothers. Liam looked her up and down and gave her a suave smile with a heart-melting look in his eyes while Eli's head snapped in her direction. Obviously, neither of them noticed her there before.

"It's nothing." Eli mumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets casually.

"Hey, beautiful." Liam flirted, grinning to show his straight, white teeth. "I'm Eli's older brother, Liam."

"Yeah, I figured." she sighed.

"Don't you dare hit on Ria; she's not a plaything." Eli spat in Liam's direction.

"What? Is she yours?" Liam replied and Ria watched Eli's hands clench into fists. Now she knew what really irked him into killer rage.

"No, but she doesn't deserve your offensive behavior." Eli told him as his face turned a shade of red.

"Look, E. Get me the money and I'll make this all go away." Liam promised, looking sincere.

"I can't-!" Eli took a deep breath. "I can't just…I can't give you the money I don't have." Eli fell back into his chair looking defeated and tired.

"Seriously? You don't have the money?" Liam asked, still unable to process what his brother meant.

"I don't have what you want, Liam. You don't even bother to know what's going on in my life, but I don't always have money to just toss around. I get in problems of my own and I can't handle yours too." Eli sighed, burying his face in his hands. "Sometimes you have to realize that you can't always wriggle out of a spot by depending on someone else."

Liam examined his brother for a moment, trying to remember a time when he'd seen Eli so distraught. Probably not since Sparks, their childhood dog, had died. Maybe he really had screwed something up this time. No, he screwed something up a long time ago. There was a time when he used to ruffle Eli's brunette waves playfully in brotherly affection; now, his sibling would stab him before he even tried it again. Besides, everything he did for his brother now wasn't out of brotherly affection, but more out of selfish survival and wanting. He used the excuse that because their family, they would take care of him, yet he didn't look at it the other way around. Liam knew he wouldn't think twice before he refused helping Eli or any of his family. It was smart of his younger brother to avoid him and reject him as an option for any sort of help; he would only get turned away with a broken heart and dying trust.

Liam never realized how much he missed having his brother back.

How much he missed having positive and personal conversations with his younger sibling…or anybody, really.

Watching Eli wind his hands painfully in his hair struck something within Liam that he knew would be forgotten the next morning. He had a habit of being a jerk and a moocher and it was extremely hard for him to change. But he had just led his baby brother into danger again.

He was pushing Eli into that twelve-foot pool again.

This time, he might actually drown.

* * *

_Author's Note: Hmm...what do you think? Should I continue?_


	2. Magnetic Hearts

**_Disclaimer: I don't own "Lie to Me."_**

_Author's Note: Thanks for the feedback everybody! :D Lucky for you, I basically wrote the second chapter anyway...It's really mostly about the history of the Loker brothers, so there isn't much action. But, knowing me, there will be some to come...mwa hahahahaha...tell me what you think. :)_**_  
_**

* * *

**2. Magnetic Hearts**

_Liam had been waiting a long time for his younger sibling to arrive. He was practically bouncing in his seat as his father held his infant brother in his arms. Dad was tired, he could tell, and mom was exhausted. They told him that if he was good, he could hold the newborn in his very own arms. So, he tried his best to keep out of trouble. He refrained from jumping in the mud puddles while his grandmother babysat him and he even ignored the itch to put a frog in grandma's bed. His parents had been gone for a long time, staying at the hospital while his brother was being born. When they came home with the best-lookin' baby he'd ever seen, he was thrilled. When dad told him he had a little brother, he couldn't keep himself from grinning._

_ "Stay still while I put him in your arms. Be _very_ careful." dad warned. Liam kept from wriggling and held out his arms in rare patience. When the warm bundle was settled carefully in his arms, he was afraid to move. The peaceful face of the infant calmed him and he suddenly felt a need to protect him at all costs._

_ "His name is Eli." mom explained wearily from her seat. He hardly noticed when his father pulled out the video camera and aimed it on him. Liam looked down on his little brother with an awakening awe._

_ "Eli, huh?" he mumbled in his little voice. "I'm gonna teach him how to catch frogs and build forts and I'm gonna show him off to all my friends, 'cause I have the best little brother _ever_." Mom and dad smiled at Liam's enthusiasm, proud that their son was taking the baby's arrival so well. "You and me, Eli. We're gonna be best friends."_

Liam woke up abruptly, staring at the ceiling in Eli's apartment. It had been a long time since he thought about that day. Liam blinked away the tears collected in his eyes. As a little boy, he was thinking about all the wrong things and he wished he had been as responsible as an older brother should have. He _did_ teach Eli how to catch frogs and he _did_ teach him how to build the best forts. The two of them were inseparable; they were best friends. But Liam had never taught Eli how to live a real life like an older brother should have. He never set the high standard that Eli had aimed for. All Liam taught Eli that was useful was to avoid _him_.

When Eli was little, he laughed when Liam tickled him and fell asleep on his shoulder whenever they watched a long movie. How long had it been since he heard his baby brother laugh? What kind of laughter did he have now?

When had they even parted ways?

It was when Liam started breaking the law. Eli had never seen that coming.

Liam's eyes shut as he drifted to sleep…

_"Where did you even get that?" Eli asked as Liam set up his stereo in his room._

_ "Does it really matter?" Liam scoffed._

_ "Yeah, it really does." the little eighth-grader protested bravely. "I know for a fact that you don't have any money." Liam stopped what he was doing and looked at his younger brother in the eyes. Eli had always been smart, but he followed Liam's lazy habits and let his grades slip. Liam didn't know how to tell his baby sibling how he got the money. He had scraped by in school enough to barely graduate and never bothered to get a job or apply for college. At night, while Eli was asleep, he would deal drugs for his income. Liam didn't want to tell him that; he didn't want his brother to be disappointed in him. They had always done some crazy stuff, they even bent some rules, but they had never made a point to try illegal things._

_ "A friend bought it for me."Liam lied, returning to his stereo. He glanced up at Eli and paused when he saw that disappointed look on his brother's face. "What?"_

_ "You're lying." Eli stated simply, his lips pursing as if he was trying to hold back tears. The thing about his little brother was that he rarely cried. He'd bust a lip, break a limb, hit his head, be accused of awful things, even do a belly flop right into the dirt…but he wouldn't cry._

_ "What are you talking about? I'm not lying." Liam argued, shaking his head as if it was the most ridiculous suggestion he'd ever heard._

_ "Yes you are. Your eyebrows twitch ever so slightly when you lie to me." Eli explained, fighting back that emotional voice. Liam didn't like that look of betrayal in his eyes. "What are you really doing, Liam?"_

_ "Nothing! Alright!" Liam shouted, getting desperate for Eli to leave it alone. _

_ His younger brother walked out of his room and he never came back._

Liam awoke the second time with a start. What was up with this trip down memory lane? He had buried those moments a long time ago. But, now he remembered how they grew apart so rapidly.

Eli had opened his ears to the rumors of the town and he found out about Liam's illegal activities: carjacking, drug dealing, shoplifting… After that, he never looked at his brother in the eye. He followed his older brother for so many years, listening as Liam made fun of potheads and criticized shoplifters as lazy people who didn't want to work for the money. Then he discovered his brother had a hand in those things; that his brother that he held so dear was lying to him all those years. Eli flipped his life around, determined to no longer do anything that was remotely similar to his brother. He got perfect grades and he quit the life of an adrenaline junky and daredevil and moved on to less risky things.

Liam watched as his brother slipped away from him.

He grew accustomed to that accusing look Eli would give him.

He got used to Eli's disappointment and he no longer recognized it.

He saw Eli's money and he fooled himself into thinking they were still best friends while he swindled it from him.

He convinced himself that their brotherly relationship was ruined because of Eli.

He told himself it was because Eli was abandoning him.

But he abandoned his younger brother.

The sound of a running faucet reached his ears and he slowly pulled himself up into a sitting position to investigate. His sibling was at the kitchen sink, filling a glass sleepily and rubbing his eyes.

"Hey." Liam greeted quietly. Eli looked up in surprise and turned off the faucet.

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you." he mumbled.

"You didn't." Liam assured him with a smile. "But, do you…want to talk?" Eli looked at him with that dreaded accusing glare while he sipped his water.

"Maybe tomorrow, but I better get some sleep before work in the morning." Eli grumbled, shuffling away to his bedroom. Liam slouched in his failed attempt.

What was happening?

What made him suddenly want to care?

Was it the fact that this time he really had pulled Eli into something that could kill him?

He just had never expected it, since Eli always had the bucks to pay off his debts and make his problems go away. It was funny how the tables had turned since they were younger. Now he depended on Eli instead of the other way around.

His mother had always told him that someday something will happen that will make him want to change.

"But, how bad will it have to be to force you to want to change?" she would ask. He had racked his own brain on what could possibly be horrible enough for that to happen. Death wouldn't faze him; maybe prison, but he would be sure not to get caught. Now he knew.

If Eli was killed because of his mistakes…he could never forgive himself.

The people he owed money to were definitely not nice people. They were the sort of people that knew the perfect spot to dump a dead body without it being found. They had made people go _missing_….forever.

"What have I done?" he whispered as the hefty realization donned on him. He had become casual in his dark dealings; he'd taken for granted the solutions that wrapped up the problem in a happy, little bow. He had just forgotten his little brother's importance to him like it was a fly on the wall.

Liam wanted the friendship back.

* * *

Eli tapped away on the computer, pondering the night before.

_"But, do you…want to talk?" _Liam had asked. His face was sincere; it showed wanting for something important. But, Eli didn't understand it. He had been so taken off guard by the inquiry that he had shot down the other man immediately with an excuse. Now that he thought about it, he had a question he wanted to ask Liam himself.

"What happened?" he whispered under his breath. When did things get out of hand? Although, if things hadn't gone awry, both he and Liam would be living pretty mediocre lives at the hands of a grocery store manager or a construction overseer. Because of Liam's sprint downhill, Eli had a much better life while Liam stood within a thoroughly horrible lifestyle.

Eli glanced around before he slipped in a DVD he'd brought from home. As soon as it loaded, he sat back and waited for the show.

"Alright, Eli. First, you've got to slowly crawl towards the grasshopper…then…you pounce!" Liam instructed as he quickly popped a clear, plastic cup over the grasshopper in victory. Eli, a small toddler, watched with awe at his brother's craftiness.

"I wanna try!" Eli exclaimed, bouncing with excitement in his overalls and striped t-shirt. His brunette waves were the same then as they were now, only much more messy. Liam's similar hair was just as disheveled, if not more so.

Eli watched as his mini self tried several times, in vain, to catch the nimble insect. He laughed quietly as the toddler rolled backwards on his butt and pouted cutely.

"Aww, you'll get it someday, sweetie." his mother laughed just before she turned off the camera. The scene changed to the beach, where Liam was gleefully running into the water and back out while his mother sat on the beach with a smile. Eli could see his toddler self again, running after his brother just as an unusually large wave rushed up the beach and toppled him over, just to be swept over by the sea. His mother gasped and ran to save her child, pulling him up by the arms to reveal a coughing and spluttering Eli. His father ran with the camera to catch the action.

"Geez! Are you okay, Eli?" his dad asked as Eli finished off his round of coughs.

"Again!" Eli shouted, grinning.

"Oh no…another daredevil…" his mother groaned as she examined her son.

Camera off.

Camera on.

"Mwahahahaha!" laughed his father in a maniacal tone. "Happy Halloween!" Eli and Liam screamed and laughed as the camera came closer to examine their costumes.

"And what are you two supposed to be?" their father chuckled as they shyly looked up at the camera.

"I'm an army guy and Eli's a ninja." Liam explained, giggling with his little brother.

"Hya!" Eli shouted adorably as he kicked as high as could.

"Woah! Almost took me out there, buddy!" their dad exclaimed playfully. Eli laughed as his baby face brightened.

"Looks like you two had a lot of fun."

Eli didn't even turn around when he heard Ria behind him. He just continued to watch the home videos with a sorrowful interest as he remembered times that didn't last. When he was younger, he predicted that he and Liam would see each other at family reunions later in their lives and would playfully tease each other of cheating when the family gathered around a board game. He never dreamed that Liam would come to him every few years, asking for money when he was in some other problem with this gang or that gang.

"We had loads of fun." Eli mumbled while he watched the two of them pour out their candy collections and trade candies to maximize the amounts of their favorite sugary goods. He grinned widely as he watched himself grab Liam's spoils when his brother wasn't looking. Eli paused the video and spun his chair around to see Torres.

"You two looked close." she muttered, staring at the frozen video of two smiling faces of Loker boys. Eli smiled as he remembered those truly happy moments between him and his brother.

"We were the closest." he replied. "He taught me about girls and the best ways to catch their interest." Eli chuckled and shook his head. His smile soon disappeared. "Everything I know about crime lives and wrong choices, I learned from watching him. Liam is the reason I follow my strict code of Radical Honesty."

"Why is that?" she asked, sitting down in a spare chair.

"He lied to me more than I care to count." Eli sighed. "He told me he was out with friends when he was really out selling heroin or stealing cars. Liam would always say a friend bought him anything I found new in his room, when really he was buying it with drug money, or pocketing it without paying for anything." Eli gulped as he remembered those dark times. "When you never saw that coming, it hits you pretty hard."

"So now you hate him?" she inquired, recalling his sour words from the day before.

"I don't hate him." Eli answered, shaking his head. "I just want him to understand that he can't do the things he does to people and expect to still be loved and praised. But I would much rather have him do it to me, rather than my parents." Ria watched Eli with sympathetic eyes, seeing the story of the brothers as it flitted across his face in emotions.

"I traded the adrenaline and my admiration of Liam for a guitar and a few computer codes." Eli sighed, returning to his computer and pulling up work-related files.

"Where is he now?" Ria inquired, curious as to whether Eli had enough heart to keep his brother around, or if he was irritated enough to turn the man away.

"He's sleeping at my apartment." he huffed.

* * *

_Author's Note: All this just makes me think about my own brothers. XD Bros are funny sometimes. So, there's this awesome thing called a review and I reeeeeeeeeeally want some. Please review? :)_


	3. Yin and Yang

**_Disclaimer: I don't own "Lie to Me."_**

_Author's Note: Ooh, this story is fun. :) Maybe it's because I'm a younger sibling...Nevertheless, if the story is fun, it means faster updates. :D Sadly, there aren't as many reviews being submitted for this story, but that's okay. Some people might not like this type of stuff... If it was hard to write, then I'd be saddened. Anywho, I hope you enjoy the next chapter. :) Let's just see how these brothers work together..._**_  
_**

* * *

**3. Yin and Yang**

Liam rolled groggily to his side, only to discover that what he was sleeping on wasn't quite wide enough. He landed on the hard, carpeted floor with a low growl, confused at first of where he was. His eyes shifted under his eyelids while he recalled his most recent memories. Oh, that's right.

He was at Eli's.

Liam pushed himself off the ground, tousling his hair sleepily and wandering to the kitchen counter. A note waited for him on the surface, calling out to him with large print letters.

_At work. I'll be home for lunch._

Liam glanced over the note several times, his foggy brain processing the information. Alright, so he had to time to kill. Might as well make himself at home while he waited for his kid brother.

He opened a cupboard and pulled out the cereal.

* * *

Eli heaved a heavy sigh as he walked into the parking garage, staring at his cell phone. He was the first to leave for the lunch break, but he hardly cared. He couldn't help that he expected to see his apartment building burned down if he didn't hurry home. Perhaps his brother would try something stupid again and end up obliterating his home or his precious belongings.

What he didn't expect was the pair of hands shoving him against the parking garage wall.

Eli gasped unexpectedly and his eyes landed on a burly man with a chip on his shoulder.

"Your brother tells us you have our money." a smooth voice said, grasping Eli's attention and moving his eyes to find a smaller, though still intimidating man. His young face had a cunning look to it and Eli knew at once that he was in some serious trouble.

"I…I don't have it." Eli croaked, glancing between the two bullies. "Liam told you wrong."

"Well, then I suggest you find some pretty soon, or somebody might push the two of you off of this building." the younger man threatened, his dark eyes hard and cold.

"I-I really don't have the money." Eli stuttered, watching the large man with a certain fear. The cunning one of the two snapped his fingers and Eli watching in slow motion as the massive fist came towards his face, finally colliding with his cheek and sending his head snapping sideways. He heard a crack in his neck and his jaw nearly popped out of its proper place, but he couldn't move his arms to nurse his injuries.

"I'm tired of waiting. I want my money _now_." the man continued, snapping his fingers again. Eli squeezed his eyes shut as another blow hit him in the eye, banging his head into the wall and sending spots dancing across his vision. The world spun around him as his head ached terribly.

"You tell your brother that he better find what I want soon, or I'll have Tank here hang you with your own shoelaces." the younger man explained, walking away casually while the muscle man abruptly let go of his prey. Eli dropped to the ground like a stone, trying to collect himself and take inventory of his injuries. He curled up as he let the dizziness and pain subside, waiting for the footsteps to disappear. When the echo of their expensive shoes had finally shrunk into silence, he grappled for the rough spots on the wall, using it as he pulled himself up slowly. Using the wall for support, he trudged most of the way to his car and slipped inside the vehicle just as he saw Torres coming into the parking garage. He had to leave before she saw him. The aches on his face were already blossoming into something pretty, and he couldn't think up a lie fast enough to be confronted by her.

Eli just wanted to go home and be safe.

* * *

The oldest Loker boy looked at his watch with mild interest, returning his attention to the video game console before him. It looked like his brother hardly played any of the games at hand, and he was more than willing to break them in for Eli. Any minute, he was expecting his baby bro to walk through the front door.

Only a second later, he did.

Actually, it was more like stumbled through the front door, rather than walked. The odd rhythm of feet hitting the floor and the sound of clumsy walking caught Liam's attention. He turned his head to peek over the couch at Eli, stunned when he saw the need for ice on his brother's face and a hand held firmly to the back of his head.

"Woah! What happened to you, E?" Liam inquired loudly as he abandoned his game, leapt over the couch and helped his brother into a kitchen chair. He watched as Eli pulled his hand away from the back of his head, revealing fingers dotted with crimson. Quickly, he replaced the pressure of his palm on the open cut, hoping it wasn't too bad.

"I met a couple of guys who wanted money." Eli groaned as Liam pulled his hand away and examined the head wound. It all reminded him of the time in grade school that his baby brother got in a scuffle with a boy that was only a year younger than Liam. Imagine a first grader throwing a punch at a fifth grader. Of course, he had seen the results of fights Liam had been in and his older brother had always advised him to rebel and knock the lights out of his opponent. Eli came home with half his face bruised up and road rashes from where he'd skidded across the concrete.

_"What happened?" _Liam asked in alarm while his mother ushered the young boy through the front door.

_"The kid wanted my lunch money and I said, 'no.' Then he shoved me around and I popped him right in the mouth." _Eli answered proudly. Their mother rolled her eyes and fled to the kitchen so she wouldn't have to hear their conversation.

_"How big was he?"_ Liam inquired with a grin.

_"Fifth grader." _Eli mumbled, then winced.

_"Well, you look bad." _Liam chuckled, somewhat pleased with the fire his brother had.

_"You should see the other guy." _Eli replied, grinning evilly.

That afternoon, Liam confronted the bully, having wrestled his name out of his brother. It turned out that the kid was in his neighborhood: easy access. Eli really had done a number on him for so small a person, but they were just tiny bruises from his tiny fists. Liam gave that bully something else to be ashamed about when he showed up to school the next day with larger bruises. Word went around not to mess with little Eli, or you'd get two rounds of serious pain.

Liam couldn't help but smile about the memory, but the smile soon slid off his face.

This time, Eli didn't fight back.

He knew he didn't, because Eli lost all his scraps in high school. When he gave up the violence, all his old enemies came back for an easy victory. But, by then, Liam knew Eli didn't want his help anymore; he'd much rather be abandoned and beat up.

This time, he'd be killed if he didn't fight for his survival.

"I think you need some medical attention." Liam suggest, combing his hands through Eli's hair to get a better look at the wound. Maybe a few stitches or something. It wasn't bad; it would probably heal on its own once the bleeding stopped.

"I'm not going to the hospital." Eli grumbled, touching his eye tenderly and grimacing.

"Then what do you suggest? I'm no expert." Liam bickered, annoyed by his brother's stubbornness. Then again, he was the one that encouraged that behavior.

"We can go to my office. They've got a first aid kit there; they've fixed me up before." Eli answered, sounding irritated.

"Before? What did you do that they had to 'fix you up before?'" Liam demanded, his older brother feelings kicking in with a _pow_.

"It was a car bomb, alright? I was just a bystander. Most of the blood wasn't even mine." Eli groused, pulling away from his brother and sending an evil glare in his direction. "I'm going back to work." Liam watched as his little brother swayed and leaned against the wall for balance.

"Yeah…I'll drive." he stated, grabbing the keys on the table and putting his arm around Eli to keep him steady.

* * *

Ria walked back into The Lightman Group with half a bagel in her hand. She got a quick lunch, hoping to finish her workload early and go home. Maybe she would even help Eli out a bit, seeing as he looked very worried to leave his brother home alone.

"Look at you, you can't stand straight by yourself!" a familiar voice shouted behind her. She turned to see both the Loker brothers coming through the front door and the one she knew…didn't look good.

"Stop touching me!" Eli protested, trying to pull away from his older brother. Liam looked to be supporting his sibling, holding an around Eli's waist. She watched as they stopped, Eli rubbing at his head with an uncomfortable look on his face.

"See? You need my help. You just get dizzy every time you pull that crap." the older one reprimanded.

"What…What happened?" Ria asked, exasperated by this unusual sight. Eli looked at her, resembling a deer in headlights.

"I…I slipped?" he said, unsure of himself. He was a poor liar; the whole office knew that.

"He doesn't quite remember." Liam told her with a sorry look. "I spilled some milk on the floor and didn't clean it up. He just went wooop!" Liam explained, gesturing how Eli fell. "If that wasn't bad enough, I accidentally dropped my bowl on his face when I went to see what happened. It didn't break, but it sure did a number on him." Ria examined the pair, watching as Eli stared at his brother with a confused look and Liam looked to be telling the truth. But, Eli had said he was a great liar.

"Yeah….right." Eli mumbled slowly.

"He needs a little bit of help. He got a bloody head and he said you guys could help fix it up." Liam explained, giving her a pleasant smile. She pursed her lips, not willing to trust that car salesman charm.

"Follow me." she ordered, walking towards Foster's office. She would know what to do best and Eli was actually starting to look a little green. Even if she was unsure about Liam's story, she saw the genuine concern in his face as he helped his brother stumble along.

"Oh, Eli! What happened?" Gillian asked worriedly, quickly getting up from her desk to help the young researcher into a chair.

"Slipped." Eli said simply, his lie covered by an expression of pain. Gillian looked skeptical.

"Then how did you get the bruises on your face?" she inquired, suspicious. The injury to the back of his head was understandable, but it must've been a strange floor if it gave him a black eye.

"I dropped my bowl on his face." Liam replied with that sly apologetic look in his eyes. His guilt was evident on his face, but only because he was already feeling guilty about bringing Eli into his mess. Foster believed him…mostly. At least she believed him enough not to fully question his story. Ria knew better. She had met Liam before; she had experienced what kind of person he was. Foster hadn't even seen him before this minute.

"Can I have a word with you?" she asked Liam, smiling sweetly. He seemed a little mistrustful, but followed her after a moment's contemplation. They went out into the hall, away from Eli or Gillian's ears.

"I don't know what you got Eli into or what you're doing to him, but you have to know that he isn't as strong as you think." she hissed as soon as the door clicked closed. "He does not deserve anymore problems and as far as I see it, you're only giving him grief!"

"Well, look, honey." Liam began with a smirk. Ria glowered at him. "I've known Eli much longer than you and I think he's a bit tougher than you give him credit for. Those nerdy clothes he wears says nothing about him." Liam chuckled as if he was thinking of something funny.

"Even if he is tougher, he's not superman." Ria protested. "He's not a fighter."

"What are you talking about?" Liam said rhetorically, but before he could further his mocking of her words, Ria continued.

"I don't care if you know Eli longer, but you don't know him _better_. You haven't been here these past few years and you have no idea what sort of person he is. Eli Loker never gets angry. Stressed, yes; irritated, maybe. But not angry. Then you come in and the poor guy explodes!"

"Wait a second. That doesn't prove anything. The kid can work up a temper, I guarantee it." Liam explained. "Eli can fight when he wants to, he just chooses not to."

"He doesn't want to because he would hate to be anything like you!" Ria spat. Liam was taken aback by this response, left speechless by its bluntness. It struck something in him that hadn't been affected in years, somehow making it more painful. He had always known it to be true in his heart, but to hear a stranger say it and with so much force… "He doesn't want to be a liar like you. Eli just wants to be Eli Loker."

* * *

_Author's Note: Shmerr...What do you think? Review please?_


	4. Tables Turned

**_Disclaimer: I don't own "Lie to Me."_**

_Author's Note: Whew turning up the heat in this story...There's going to be some whumpage. I'm sure of it. Just wait for it...and it will be sure to come. I haven't really had Lightman in here yet, but he's coming. :) Thanks for those of you who have reviewed and put my story on story alert, it is highly appreciated and I thank you! Alright, read the next chapter...we have a bit of __a role reversal for the Loker boys here, should be interesting..._**_  
_**

* * *

**4. Tables Turned**

Eli held the bucket tightly, his dizziness starting to dissipate. He felt sorry for Foster, having to watch him vomit and hang over him worriedly. Luckily, he was starting to feel much better, like everything in his system was beginning to right itself. For a moment, he was worried his head injury was worse than he originally thought, but he knew what to look for; having Liam as a brother had its uses. For now, he was fine. He just had to find a way to get him and his brother out of this mess. Funny how the roles of the siblings had reversed: the younger was now acting as the older and more responsible one.

"Eli, are you okay?" Ria said behind him, approaching him carefully as she took in his pale face and slight shaking.

"Getting there." he croaked, still depending on his bucket for safety. His eyes shifted slightly to see Liam at his side, somewhat worried. The more prominent feature of his brother's face was the expression of someone who was just told the world was ending. Eli looked to Ria, curious as to what they talked about to make his nonchalant brother feel that way.

"Did he throw up?" Ria asked Gillian in a hushed tone. Eli imagined his boss nodding her head with a sorry look on her face.

"I'll be fine." he muttered. "I've had worse." He shot a sour look to Liam, the cause of all this head injury experience. To his surprise, his sibling replied with an expression of hurt. Why was he reacting this way?

"Why don't you go home and get some rest." Gillian suggested. "I'll wrap a bandage around your head, but then I want you to take the rest of the day off." Liam agreed to this simply by the look on his face and Eli had no objections. Working was worrisome with his brother visiting and he had other plans anyhow.

"Yeah, I'll take him home and put him to bed." Liam said quietly, shifting uncomfortably. Eli was in a daze by this mystery and he continuously took looks at Ria, only proving useless when she managed an unreadable guise.

Foster carefully wrapped a bandage around Eli's head, leaving the brunette waves to curl over the pure white. He felt ridiculous, but he wanted the bleeding to stop as soon as possible while a plan hatched in his brain.

Liam helped him out of The Lightman Group while he held an ice pack to his face.

"How are you feeling?" Liam asked, leading him towards the car.

"I'll be fine. I'm already feeling much better." Eli replied stiffly. Liam looked at his brother, seeing a familiar gleam in his eye.

"I know that look." he stated, observing more closely. "What are you planning?" Eli was silent for awhile, concentrating on the floor in front of him.

"I'm planning how to pay off your debt."

Instantly, Liam was worried.

"Look, Eli. I'll find a way to get these guys off you. It's my problem and I'll work it out myself." he said, remembering Ria's words.

_"He would hate to be anything like you!"_

Like him.

For so many years, Liam had been lying to himself. He told himself that it wasn't bad to be him; he got money and he didn't get in too many problems he couldn't wriggle out of. Being around Eli and the people around him had shown him the truth about his cracked lifestyle.

He was in the worst situation of all.

His life had a high risk of being arrested, injured or even killed. Liam had turned his eyes away from the dark side and had only allowed himself a look at the positives. Because of that, he never truly believed he was putting his family in any sort of danger by involving them in it.

Now, reality had finally hit him.

Actually, more like it hit Eli to make Liam see. This time, someone got hurt by his cluelessness and now Liam could see why Eli had turned away from him those years ago.

Eli had always been smart; he knew that following his brother was no longer a ploy of risky fun. It was suicide and misery. Now he had to follow Liam's footsteps just to save himself.

Eli had to be like Liam.

"Don't be ridiculous, Liam. You're an expert at getting into bad spots, but you couldn't fight your way out, even if you wanted to." Eli scoffed, looking more determined as they approached the car. Liam remembered these sorts of moments as kids.

He used to call it, "Eli's predator mode."

His little brother was going to get it done, even if it was risky. Whatever he was planning, it was going to happen with or without Liam's help.

"Do you know any underground poker games I can buy into?" Eli asked as soon as Liam slid into the driver's seat. He froze when he heard the words come out of Eli's mouth. For years, he tried to persuade his sibling to chip into one of the illegal games. With what Eli had been learning while he worked under Lightman, he would have the advantage at the table. If he could read a bluff, he could win some big bucks.

"What do you plan to do?" Liam inquired softly, hoping it wasn't what he thought it was. Getting involved with some of those poker guys would mean more danger for his younger brother and perhaps more financial risk.

"I'm going to try and win us some money." Eli stated, as though it was obvious. It_ was _obvious, but Liam was regretting ever inviting his sibling to join the flurry of cards. In the last twenty-four hours, Liam felt like he was waking up to the world after a drunken night.

He had a lot of regrets.

"I've got five thousand to chip in and I'll get what I can." Eli explained. "I'll get in there tonight." Liam stared at Eli incredulously, nearly swerving off the road.

"Are you crazy? _All _of your money? Besides, you were just _puking _minutesago!" he shouted gruffly. Liam didn't want this. When he asked for money, he expected some paid debts and an invitation to leave. It was getting deeper and Eli was diving for it.

"It'll be fine. It's only a minor injury and I'm pretty sure I can get something more out of my five grand." Eli mumbled, rubbing at his forehead. "We have to get out of this, Liam. They aren't going to let us go if we sit around and calling the cops doesn't quite sound like a wise idea. I'll just have to think like my boss. He's done this sort of stuff before."

"I don't think you should do it, Eli. If your boss has done this before, maybe we can ask for his help." Liam urged, picturing his younger bro at a table, keeling over from his head injury.

"What has gotten into you?" Eli demanded, staring at his brother like he was an alien. "You were begging me to get into a poker game before and now you're trying to talk me out of it. Plus, suddenly you _care_!"

"It's just…" Liam trailed off, struggling as his face automatically formed into a tough expression. Eli waited, getting impatient.

"It's just _what_? What could possibly make you change your mind after all those years of dragging your family into your mess and not even caring?" Eli ordered, frustrated with his brother's change of habit. No matter which path he chose to follow, it seemed like Liam was determined to persuade him otherwise.

"It's just I didn't want this to happen!" Liam blurted, shoving his defense out of his mouth. There. It was out. He looked to his brother, not at all surprised to see the confusion on Eli's face. "I never thought you would get hurt in all this. Everything has gone so smoothly in my life, I never saw this coming." Liam looked desperate to keep his brother away from the awful world he was in. "This…this whole thing is making me realize things I didn't even pay attention to before." Eli stared at him with a soft look, lodged between shock and understanding.

"I'm just…so sorry, Eli."

Eli glanced out towards the window. He never foresaw this day; he didn't know it was coming. He didn't know how to react, or what to say, but Liam didn't expect him to. He wouldn't blame his little brother if he continued to hate him.

A thick silence settled into the car.

Neither of them spoke while Liam worried openly and Eli pondered deeply.

"It has to be done." Eli said finally. "Oddly, I understand your worry, but…we just have to do it this way. I'm the only one in this car that can read faces pretty well and I can't possibly tell my boss; he might fire me if I do. We have to do this ourselves. Both of us will just have to deal with it."

"No, E, I can't let you go in there. Teach me how to figure out the bluffs and I'll do it." Liam offered. He would say anything to keep his brother away from what he knew.

"You know I can't teach you that in a few hours." Eli sighed. "I have to be the one to go." Liam huffed and clenched his teeth in worry and concern.

"The only place I can get you into will only let you win twelve thousand a night. If you're too good, they'll mess you up and kick you out, but they'll let you keep the money." Liam explained, dreading every word.

"What kind of place is that?" Eli asked incredulously. "Only twelve thousand?" He was trying hard to ignore what else Liam had said, knowing that most likely he would come out of that place with a need for some first aid.

"It's the only place that hasn't banned me yet because it's a place for drunks and poor guys with a few bucks and a gambling problem. Every place else, you've gotta know somebody and I'm no good to you for those. Usually, nobody comes out of there with more than a thousand bucks. Once you reach five thousand, those thugs will be watching you. They'll think you're cheating, even if you're not." Eli mulled it over in his mind.

"Then I hope you know that I'm not stopping until I have that twelve grand." he stated boldly. Liam smiled with a pained look.

"I know. But, I want to be right there with you."

* * *

Lightman snatched his keys with a sigh. He was the best poker player in the team and he knew how to deal with the underground ruffians. So…that meant he was the one to go down there to find the suspect. Luckily, they guy stayed at the tables practically all night. Cal smirked at his good fortune; might as well go for a late dinner with Emily and then wait around awhile.

Just as long as he had the suspect tomorrow.

* * *

"Are you sure you can't just give me a few tricks? I might catch on pretty well." Liam pleaded as he watched Eli pause and rub his head. He had removed his bandage and the bleeding stopped, but his head was still aching. The bruising on his face was easily covered by the cover up Liam picked up from the store awhile ago and the swelling was no longer present. His baby bro recovered quickly, that was a plus.

"No, I really can't. Stop freaking out; you can freak out _after_ I get beat up." Eli grumbled. He did his best to hide the fact that he feared the consequence of getting his twelve grand. He couldn't imagine showing up in Foster's office completely thrashed…but it could very possibly happen. "Can you get the three extra thousand we need?" Eli looked hopeful, but knew it was useless.

"Nope, I can't win a dime." Liam confessed, pursing his lips shamefully. "Otherwise I'd never be in debt. But, I want to be there; can't you spare a hundred bucks or something?"

"Sorry, Liam. We'll need all the money we can get. I'll go in alone and you could look for other ways to get the money." Eli sighed.

"Alright, fine. But if you're going in there, you can't wear those clothes. They make you look like those hot shot college kids that think they're better. Nobody will come to your table." Liam advised, looking his brother over. He turned and dug around in Eli's closet for a moment, throwing out a white collared shirt, slacks and a blue striped tie. "Geez, it looks like you never wear these!"

"I don't." Eli mumbled, looking at the clothes with distaste.

"Well, put them on and we'll work it from there." Liam ordered, urging his brother into the hated clothing. Once Eli stood in the professional-looking clothes, even having the tie secure around his neck, he looked to his brother with a doubtful look.

"I think this is worse than what I had on before." he groused.

"Hey, you've gotta trust me on this stuff. Alright, roll up your sleeves." Liam commanded, taking the tie firmly in his hands and loosening it quite thoroughly. He messed up Eli's hair while being careful of the wound on the back of his skull.

"What look are we going for here?" Eli asked, trying to envision himself.

"The hard working, young employee after a long day." Liam explained, artfully tousling his brother's brunette waves. He unbuttoned the top buttons of Eli's shirt and stood back to admire his work.

"Uh…do you think this will work?" Eli asked, looking down at himself. "Do I have to wear my dress shoes? I hate those things…"

"No, go with the sneakers." Liam said simply. "Hey, it's either this, or you dress in my wardrobe with pinstripe blazers and fedora hats."

"I'll go with this." Eli muttered sourly. "And I just drop your name at the door?"

"Yep, Liam Loker is the key." Liam answered with a deep breath. "Good luck."

"Yeah, thanks."

Eli turned and walked towards the front door, pulling it open as his keys jingled in his hand.

"Eli?"

"Yeah?"

"I…just be careful."

_Click_ and Eli was gone.

* * *

_Author's Note: Ooh, finally getting somewhere. :) Please review? Pleeeeaaase?_


	5. A Loker Poker Face

**_Disclaimer: I don't own "Lie to Me."_**

_Author's Note: Alrighty, another chapter! :) I hope you enjoy it!_**_  
_**

* * *

**5. A Loker Poker Face**

Eli started out well; he was sure to lose every now and then as to keep the shady men at bay. But time was running thin and he needed the twelve thousand. His losses became less and less and as his piles reached five grand, the thugs had started to take notice. Now, he was nearing ten thousand and hoped they only supposed he was a lucky guy.

If only things were that easy.

"Hey, y've got some skill therr, bud." one of the drunk players told him as Eli swept up his winnings.

"I suppose it's just a good patch of luck; I definitely need it." Eli chuckled wearily. Part of it was all an act, but not how tired he was. His headache lingered and he kept rubbing at his eyes in desperation to keep them open.

"Are ya sure you dn't wanna drink?" the man slurred. "I'll getya one m'self."

"No, I'm good." Eli replied, stacking his chips and waiting for the dealer. He couldn't afford having a drink; he needed all of his concentration in front of him to win the last two thousand bucks.

"Suit yr'self." the man huffed, gathering his cards in slow hands. The other players at the table were glaring at him as well as people at other tables. He was raking in the attention, but he didn't care.

"Oi, I just want to play some card games!"

The voice was faintly heard from the entrance.

"Come on, bloke. It's a free country and I've got some money."

Eli knew that voice.

Dr. Cal Lightman.

Eli wanted to run, to hide, to be anywhere than where he was. But, right now, it was crucial to get that money; he didn't want to be hung by his own shoelaces. Maybe if he kept his face hidden enough, Cal will never know. It wasn't as if he wore these clothes regularly anyway.

_Please don't fire me._ Eli prayed as he looked at his hand. He watched the other players closely, waiting for their tells. It looks like the guy on his far left had a decent hand and he wasn't about to compete with that. As soon as his turn came up, he folded and waited until the man pulled in his chips with a full house, aces high.

The man next to Eli got up with a frustrated huff and left the table, having nothing left to bet. As soon as it was empty, the place was filled again by none other than…

Lightman.

"Oi, you look stressed, mate." Cal muttered, looking at Eli as if he was a stranger. Eli knew better, but he wasn't going to mess with it. Just play along…

"Tough paying the bills without much money." Eli replied with a sad smile. He had basically given his boss a confession; one that he had never meant to slip.

"You come here often?" Lightman continued, acting nonchalant as he set his chips down in neat stacks. Unfortunately, his behavior reminded Eli of Liam.

"No, first time here." Eli grumbled. "I've recently come into a need for money and thought I'd try my hand at poker." He was trying to hint to Cal that he had a good reason to be here; that normally he would never fathom sitting where he was now.

"A'ight then. Good luck." Lightman replied, turning to the man next to him and striking up another conversation. Eli was thankful that Cal was no longer focusing on him, but he supposed it was only because the man beside his boss was a suspect for their most recent case. It seemed so long ago that he was working on that same case, but it had only been the morning before.

Eli tried to keep to himself for the rest of the night and, surprisingly, Cal was letting him win more times than he thought. When it was getting hard for him to concentrate and keep his eyes open, Eli stood from the table to go to the bathroom.

"Hey, dealer, can you watch my chips? You can deal me out of this one, I'll be back by the next hand." he said and the attractive blonde nodded with a smile. The other players looked pleased by his respect to them and the game, thankful for the moment to rest before taking on the challenging player again. He headed straight towards the restroom and pushed his way inside. With a quick sigh, he splashed water into his face and looked up at the grimy mirror.

He felt like he was staring straight at Liam…and he felt sorry for his brother.

"How much money have you got now?"

"Around eleven thousand." Eli grumbled, turning to his boss.

"Well, look at you go!" Cal taunted, his lazy eyes watching the young man closely. "You don't look too happy about it." Eli stayed silent and averted his gaze. "You're in some kind of trouble, aren't ya?" A flicker of guilt and shame. "Oh, that's it, isn't it?"

"There's nothing to worry about." Eli sighed, shoving past Cal and heading back to the table.

Lightman watched the hunched shoulders with mild concern.

* * *

"Looks like you've won your limit today, Mr. Loker." the dealer stated as she pushed the last of his winnings to him. Cal could see the fear in his eyes even before the muscled men in suits came up behind him.

Eli knew it was coming.

"Come with us." one of the men ordered in a deep, intimidating voice. The other swept Eli's chips into a bag while the young man stood tiredly. Immediately, they grabbed him by the arms and pulled him to the back door while the other players watched with deep interest.

Eli's heart was beating rapidly as they threw him out into the dirty alleyway.

"How did you get all this money?" the man demanded gruffly while the door slammed shut behind him.

"I won it fair and square!" Eli shouted, his voice cracking as he scrambled away from the immediate dangers. "I guess I have luck for this sort of thing!"

"Sure you do. Show him what we do to cheaters." the man commanded. Several tough-looking men descended on Eli, beating him down into the concrete. Eli curled up into a ball while he waited for the kicks to stop, covering his face and gritting his teeth. A foot harshly hit the injury on the back of his head and the dancing spots came back into his vision.

As if by a miracle, the blows stopped, but the pain never ceased.

"You're lucky we'll let you keep your money, but don't you dare come back around here again." the man growled, going back inside while Eli stayed still. When the door closed and there was no sign of a threat left, Eli slowly stretched himself out, lying flat against the asphalt. He struggled to gain the breath they had knocked out of him and he coughed out the blood trickling into his throat from a split lip. His hands felt around the space beside him while his eyes shut to block out the wave of dizziness he felt. Fortunately, his fingers curled around a bag of papery goodness inside.

It was a tough and horrible day, but he had to pay the price.

"Why would you volunteer yourself for that?" Cal asked, sounding surprised. In any case, he made no move to help his employee.

"I need the money." Eli groaned, putting a hand over his face as he pulled the money closer to him. He hugged the bag tightly, not willing to let go until it was in some place safe.

"What for?"

"Like I said before, Lightman, it's nothing to worry about." Eli whispered hoarsely.

"Bloody hell it is! You were just pummeled in an alleyway!" Cal shouted, still making no attempt to aid poor Eli Loker.

"It was all part of the plan." Eli coughed, trying to pull himself together so he could drive home. He rolled over to his stomach, wheezing as a sharp pain pulsed through his chest and nausea swirled his insides. Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself to his feet and stood shakily for a moment, trying to establish some balance.

"What is this plan? What kind of trouble are you in?" Cal asked. Eli spat out the coppery taste in his mouth, inspecting his battered body. Slowly, he made his way to the wall and collapsed against it, his throbbing legs giving out and sending him back to the ground.

How could he ever make it home?

Strangely, he felt a pair of hands under his arms, pulling him into a sitting position and leaning him against the wall. He was surprised to see Lightman standing over him, looking concerned and pained for Eli's condition.

"What's going on, Loker?" he questioned softly. Eli gently touched a hand to the back of his head, feeling the slippery touch of a reopened wound. All of Foster's careful work…

"I've got it handled, Lightman." he mumbled, rubbing at his eyes.

"Don't kid yourself; you're a wreck beside a shady poker joint." Cal said bluntly, shaking his head. "What's really going on?" Eli breathed deeply as he tried to quell the rising urge to puke and the desire to topple over and pass out.

"I have…I have a tough family member." Eli murmured. "He came to me and asked for money. Now I've got to come up with the cash to get us both off the hook." Lightman watched his employee carefully with a trained eye. Something was off.

"There's more to it than that, isn't there?" he probed, glancing over Eli's injuries. Eli looked at him with a confirming look, but he didn't intend to give away specifics. Cal continued his small investigation. "Who is this family member to you? A cousin? An uncle?" Nothing notable turned up on Loker's face. "Your father, maybe?" Eli made an expression that showed how preposterous that would be and Cal cleared his throat for the final guess. "A brother." It came out as more of an answer rather than a question. Eli looked up, his eyes full of sorrow and empty wishes.

"Come on, I'll drive you home." Cal sighed, abandoning his original reason for being there. Eli tried to push away his help, but Lightman persisted. "You can't possibly get home in one piece like this." Loker thought a moment and gave up his stubborness, realizing that his boss spoke the truth. Cal helped him up and supported him to his car. He noticed every wince and grimace that passed the young man's face and he could see that Eli was having a hard time staying conscious. He couldn't tell if it was because he was beaten so badly, or if it was because he was dead tired.

As they drove away from the horrid place, Eli nestled into his seat, no longer caring what anyone thought of him. He hurt and he just wanted to be home. He just wanted all of this to be over.

"I'm calling Foster." Cal announced. "She's better at all this medical stuff anyway." Eli wanted to deny the help and try to handle this all himself, but he knew it just wasn't feasible. He grunted and let the blackness blanket him.

* * *

Foster waited in the apartment parking lot. Cal had called her and told her to meet him at Loker's apartment. She couldn't fathom why, but she could tell it was important by his tone of voice. Quickly, she primped herself up a bit and headed over to the designated area and now she was waiting.

Just waiting in a dimly lit parking lot for a mysterious reason.

Besides, what did Eli have to do with all this? Granted, things with Loker had seemed a little unusual, but she just contributed it to the arrival of his brother. Liam seemed nice enough of her, though maybe something else was going on here; something that had caught Cal's interest somehow.

Speak of the devil, Cal was just driving up.

She could see he wasn't alone; somebody was slumped in the passenger seat of his car. Cal quickly got out of his vehicle and glanced at her before walking around to the mystery person.

"'Ello, love, nice to see you. I may need a bit o' help here." he told her as he pulled the door open. He tapped the other person on the cheek sharply and she could hear a groan.

"Oi! Loker, wake up!" Cal shouted. Gillian froze.

Something had happened to Eli.

Cal tugged Loker out of the car with serious effort, grasping the poor guy tightly to keep him from collapsing.

Gillian gaped in shock.


	6. Rag Doll

**_Disclaimer: Right, I don't own "Lie to Me."_**

_Author's Note: WOAH! Guys, I finally made it here to college, moved in, got my classes together...so I'm sorry for the delay!__I'm here in Hawaii for college and it is BEAUTIFUL! :) But, again, I'm sorry it took so long! Thanks for all the reviews and thanks for reading my story you readers. :) I hope you enjoy this next chapter!_**_  
_**

* * *

**6. Rag Doll**

"Cal, what happened?" Gillian asked as she rushed forward to help him drag the young man up the apartment stairs. Eli looked absolutely terrible. His skin was pale and clammy while his eyes were misty and unfocused, staring at nothing but the air in front of him. The white shirt—which Gillian was shocked to find on Loker—was dirty and bloody, littered with partial footprints where men must've kicked him. Pieces of him were already turning black and blue and the fact that he was just a mess of filth, untidiness and scrambled brains added to the horror of his appearance.

"Oi, where's your key, Loker?" Cal huffed as he lugged the poor boy up the steps. Eli was a lot heavier than they would've ever guessed.

"Don't…don't need it…knock…" Eli mumbled incoherently, ready to drop at any second. Cal was tired of holding up this collapsing mess of man, but part of him harbored some sympathy.

Gillian knocked on the door in fast, hard raps. Cal looked at her, aware that she was very clueless as to what sorts of plans the Loker brothers had been cooking up. She still hadn't noticed the bag of money in his other hand, so he didn't see any reason to explain…yet. He knew he'd have to spill sooner or later. If he was lucky, Eli's brother would do it for him.

Speak of the devil.

Liam opened the door swiftly, his face turning to horror as he beheld his brother between the two bosses. He expected pretty bad, but not _really_ bad.

"Do you mind if we throw the man on your couch?" Cal asked, panting while he held Eli's weight. Liam stepped aside immediately, a touch of concern flitting across his face as he heard Eli's weary groan.

"…don't feel…so good…" the younger sibling mumbled, grimacing as they helped him onto the couch. Gillian got him a garbage can in case he threw up, trying to decide what to do first. Eli toppled to his side, his arms secured around his ribs in a gentle embrace.

"Let's just get this shirt off him first." Foster sighed. Liam helped her pull the dirty, white button-up off his brother, clearly disturbed by the crusted blood in the fabric. Gillian pushed Eli's undershirt up to reveal his torso, littered in bruises big and small and tiny cuts from the worst kicks.

"Does this hurt?" Foster inquired, pressing gently on Eli's ribs. He yelped in pain and squirmed to get away from her hand, huffing over the wave of fresh pain.

"Yeah!" he rasped. His eyes squeezed shut as he quickly turned himself to lean over the edge of the couch into his small garbage can, vomiting whatever his stomach held. Foster noticed the sick shine of blood on the back of his head, knowing full well that his head injury was reopened.

"Here's your money." Cal grumbled, throwing the bag of bills in front of Liam. He had never seen Eli's brother, but it didn't take a genius to know they were related. They looked so much alike and the brunette waves gave most of it away. "The kid got it all; all twelve thousand." Gillian glanced over, confused by this transaction. Liam looked troubled and guilty when he looked at the bag, but a toughness glazed over his other feelings protectively.

"What's going on?" she inquired in a small voice, pausing in her medic duties for a fraction of a second.

"What sort of trouble are you and your brother in?" Cal demanded, staring at Liam with those lazy eyes packed with fire. Gillian wanted to continue watching, but there was still the battered Loker brother to attend to.

"It's a money issue." Liam answered simply, boring his own sharp eyes into Cal's. They were both formidable foes in staring daggers, but it wasn't accomplishing anything.

"And how has that driven my employee into basically giving himself up for the slaughter?" Cal probed, taking a step forward with the purpose to intimidate. Eli could be a bit difficult to stand for; sometimes he required patience and an amused smile. But the young man meant more to Cal than a bag of money and he knew Liam felt the same way. Still, he couldn't trust this shady, new character in his and his team's lives.

"It was his plan. He worked it all out and…and he took on all the risks." Liam murmured, looking down guiltily. "I didn't want him to do this as much as you two do."

"What kind of man lets his kid brother do that sort of thing?" Cal questioned angrily, peering into Liam's eyes.

Then he understood.

"The kind that doesn't want him killed." he sighed, stepping back as he pieced together the details. "They're gonna kill you both if you don't get the money." Liam took a deep breath, watching his little brother on the couch. Eli was moaning while Foster was fixing him up and Liam could hardly take it. This just wasn't right.

"So I take it that Eli never slipped." Foster said quietly, but poison swam in her voice. She shivered as she thought about Eli being punched and threatened. Eli wasn't just a friend and employee to her; she watched over the team in a motherly fashion, just as Cal took the protective father approach.

It just never got this bad.

Her memory flashed back to when a car bomb when off just outside of The Lightman Group. She remembered feeling a jolt of worry when Eli came through the office door, splattered with blood and in a definite daze. Back then, she could see the frantic worry on Cal's face. Right now, she could see that same look seeping into the creases of Lightman's guise.

Liam moved to his brother's side, crouching next to the couch.

"Hey, E." he greeted softly. He felt worse than he had felt in years. Liam felt like somebody had beat him into the ground too.

"I got the money." Eli panted, smiling weakly. "We only have three thousand more to go." Liam's heart was in his throat now and he tried desperately to swallow it.

"Yeah, buddy, you did a good job." Liam whispered with that dazzling grin he had to work his face muscles to produce. Watching him, Gillian wanted to slap him…hard.

"I just want to take my lunch break without getting a knuckle sandwich." Eli chuckled quietly, his eyelids getting heavy.

"Then next time we'll get some pizza." Liam promised. "I'll pay." He smirked a little.

"No you won't." Eli scoffed weakly, smiling slightly as he drifted into Slumberland. "You never pay…" Liam watched Eli's chest rise and fall slowly, his grin sliding right of his face.

It was funny how this crisis had brought the two of them back together again. So many years had formed a rift and a battle between Eli and Liam, and a day in a predicament had mended the relationship. But, most importantly, this one day had changed Liam.

Now, he actually cared.

What had he done?

* * *

Ria sighed and stared impatiently at the clock. Everybody was late. No, not just one or the other, _everybody_. She knew something was up and she was starting to get worried. No calls from Lightman or Foster; no answer from Eli; and no word about Mr. Liam Loker. She was out of the loop and it was a bit irritating to stand.

"Where are you people…?" she grumbled. Maybe she should call Reynolds to see if he knew anything; it was worth a shot. Nah, she would wait just a little longer.

"I'm fine, Foster!" came a muffled cry. Ria turned around to look out of the glass door of the analysis room, hoping for answered prayers.

"Shut it, Loker. Let her help you." growled a familiar British voice. Soon, the group came into Torres's view, Liam tagging along shamefully behind them.

Eli looked worse than she remembered.

He limped along, grimacing with each step and holding his ribs tenderly. His skin had more purple and blue splotches than she recalled and his face read that he desperately wanted to sit down somewhere. Foster looked extremely concerned as she hovered over Eli and Cal had a rare expression of worry. To Ria, they looked like they were afraid Loker would keel over.

As they entered into the analysis room, Torres didn't bother to avert her stare.

"What happened?" she demanded, her fury becoming a full flame as she was again reminded how uninformed she was.

"Nothing." Eli mumbled, collapsing into his office chair with a relieved sigh.

"Just some money issues." Cal replied, sending a menacing glare in Liam's direction.

"Loker got himself into an underground poker game last night and ended up getting beat up." Foster explained, still sticking close to Eli.

"He really should be at home." Liam said quietly. Ria couldn't agree more; Eli's eyes were going between focused and unfocused as they watched him.

"A hospital would be more like it." Foster interjected.

"I'm fine." Eli rejected, sounding exhausted. Everyone gave him a look of disbelief, but made no move to challenge his statement. Of course, it was hard for him to convince himself that was the truth. He hurt all over and it took everything he had just to get from the car to his chair. But, even through all that, he had only one worry in mind:

How were they going to get the last three thousand dollars?

He didn't know how to get cash fast; he was a hard-working, honest person. Eli got his money in the slow, steady, danger-free way. Liam had to know something, but he didn't seem willing to indulge his little brother in anymore methods. He _had_ to know that if they didn't get the money, they would be in worst trouble than a few bruises and a headache.

Speaking of headaches, just thinking was giving him one.

After a moment, he realized that his brother was gazing at him. He caught Liam's stare and held it, information passing between them like a silent conversation. Eli could almost hear Liam pleading for Eli to stay out of it; that he would take care of the rest. Loker couldn't believe that. Liam got them in this mess and he wasn't all that good at digging himself out of all that.

Eli's own stare read that he would take care of things until Liam actually took some action.

"Loker, you really should go home." Foster commented, breaking the contact between the brothers.

"No, I can stay here. If I need anything, I'll ask Liam to get it for me." he replied bitterly, scowling as his coworkers' concern annoyed him. He didn't notice that Lightman had been watching the soundless discussion between him and Liam. And for once…

Cal didn't know what to do.

If he gave Loker the money, the company probably couldn't stay afloat; it was having a hard time surviving as it was. He was impressed that Eli could handle as much as he had himself, but it wasn't enough. It wasn't enough for a world of criminals and greedy hands.

"I've got work to do." Cal said impatiently, covering his uncomfortable feelings. "Come on, Foster, Torres; I need you. We're a man short." Ria and Gillian lingered for a moment, hesitating to leave Eli there alone with Liam, but reluctantly followed Cal anyhow. Eli was so happy to watch that door swing shut, trapping the feelings of dread and that suffocating coddling outside.

"We better get that money soon." Eli growled as he turned to his brother. "I'm tired of all the looks they give me."

"I think they're being reasonable." Liam protested. "Look at you! Look at _us_! We need help! This is getting really bad."

"Of course it is! This is how things are, Liam. You have to solve problems while you trudge through life! In all reality, you can't just walk up to somebody, ask for money and hope everything goes away!" Eli shouted, getting dizzy with anger. "We need three thousand."

"We need a miracle." Liam sighed.

* * *

"We are _not_ going to borrow from another loan shark!" Eli argued as they walked in the parking garage. It was the end of the workday and the two brothers were making their way back home to plan their next course of action.

"Why not? That would give us a few days longer!" Liam explained. Eli stared at his sibling with an are-you-flippin'-kidding-me expression.

"But then we'd have to come up with the interest too." Eli grumbled. He was getting tired as he walked towards the car and it was hard to push himself any further. But, he was not about to ask Liam for help.

"How cute to see the brothers together."

Liam and Eli turned around, confused. They didn't like what they saw.

It was that mysterious young man again.

They didn't fail to see the guns pointed in their direction, held by the beefy sidekicks.

"I want my money. _Now_."

* * *

_Author's Note: Ooh, I have exciting things in store... *cackles* Well, at least I think it's exciting. :O Thanks for reading! Please review. :3_


	7. Dragged to the Underworld

_**Disclaimer: I don't own "Lie to Me." **__Of course I don't, or else it would have more focus on Eli instead of having everybody putting him down all the time... XD_

___Author's Note: Whew! Another chapter! :) How exciting. Things are getting intense! How will the Loker brothers fight this one! O.O Oh, you guys are great. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I hope you enjoy the next one!  
_

* * *

**7. Dragged to the Underworld**

Eli was ready to collapse as he stared at the serious look on the young man's face. He wanted to steal a glance at Liam, but he couldn't bring himself to move a muscle.

"I've been waiting a long time for my money and I'm getting a little impatient." the man sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets and walking around the brothers in a casual manner. "I like to be paid back in a proper, timely manner."

"We have most of the money." Liam replied calmly, breathing deeply. The young man stopped, smirking a bit.

"Oh? Where would that be?"

Eli slid his eyes over to Liam, unsure what to think as he saw the fear underlining his brother's face. What did that mean? Where did that put the two? Liam looked over to Eli, silently asking what he should do.

_Whatever needs to be done. Whatever you think is best._ Eli thought. He had no clue of what to do and he was scared out of his mind.

"It's back at his apartment." Liam confessed, nodding in Eli's direction. "We can get the rest of the money, we just need more time."

"Time?" the man scoffed, a look of amusement combing over his features. "You're all out of time, Liam. I told you last time that there were no more chances. I keep my promises." Something within Eli's gut twisted uncomfortably. The tone of his enemy's voice wasn't pleasant; the meaning behind it giving him shivers. But, Eli was finding it harder and harder to concentrate on the hidden signs in the young man's expressions and voice.

His bruised muscles couldn't hold him up anymore, causing him to collapse to the ground and jostle his cracked ribs. He winced and bit back a cry, wrapping his arms gingerly around himself.

"Eli!" Liam whispered loudly, crouching down by his brother. "We just need a little more time!"

"I don't have any time to spare, I'm afraid." the young man sighed, grabbing a gun from his own waistband. "Now tell me where my money is, or I won't lend you the extra time to live." Liam's heart sunk like a rock as the words settled in. They only had a small matter of time left to breathe; only a small matter of time to listen to their heartbeats in their ears.

"Get them in the cars. Separate them." the young man ordered, glaring menacingly at his men. "I want the younger one in my car. He'll tell me where my cash is." Liam's eyes widened at the commands, his grip tightening around Eli's arm and shoulder. He didn't want to let him go. Looking down, he could see that his brother had the same concern, though he was distracted with other pains and problems of his own body at the moment.

"Make this snappy; I don't want some lie guys seeing us." the leader growled, shoving his gun back in his waistband and watching as his henchman obeyed.

"Get over here." one man grumbled, grabbing Liam and harshly yanking him away from Eli. Liam's breath caught in his chest as he saw his hands empty and the distance between him and his brother widening. He couldn't bear to watch them zip tie the helpless Eli and roughly tugging him towards a car. Even as the zip ties wrapped tightly around his own wrists, he couldn't take his eyes off the younger Loker boy, being tossed like garbage into the backseat of a car. The muscular man tossed Eli's cell phone behind him, the device cracking and breaking on impact with the concrete.

"No!" Liam screamed, wriggling his way out of his captor's hands.

"Shut up!" the man shouted, using his gun to club the back of Liam's head.

Everything went dark.

* * *

"Did you just hear shouting?" Ria asked as she walked with Gillian towards the parking garage. She thought she had heard a gruff man's voice, but it could've been her imagination.

"No, I…I heard it too." Foster mumbled, as both she and Ria quickened their pace towards the front office door. As they came into the parking garage, they saw no movement, only hearing the squeal of tires hurrying out of the building.

"What do you think that was?" Gillian asked, peering around the lifeless garage.

"I dunno…" Ria muttered. She scanned her surroundings with careful examination, her vision catching on something out of place. "What's that?" Foster followed her gaze with her own, a confused look scrunching her guise.

"Is that…?" she began as both women inched forward. "Is that a phone?"

"Look, there's two." Ria mumbled, staring at the broken phones with a sour feeling in her heart. The feeling turned to bitterness as she recognized one of them. "That's Loker's phone." Foster looked up, searching and hoping.

"His car is still here." she whispered, now seeing what this meant.

"We have to tell Lightman." Ria stated worriedly.

"We need to call Reynolds." Gillian added.

* * *

Eli was in incredible pain. A deep sense to live still burned within him, but part of him wondered how peaceful and painless it would be to just pass on to the afterlife.

"Where's your apartment?" the young man demanded. Eli opened his eyes to see a gun aimed straight in his face. He gasped and stared for a moment, searching for the right words in his head. Oh, how he wished Liam was here to help answer.

"Tell me or I blow your smart, little, lie-detecting brains out."

"I…"

Help.

* * *

Cal paced in his office, troubled by the news Ria and Gillian had just brought him. He should've known this would happen; he should've paid more attention. Why hadn't he? Why wasn't the Lokers under protection and safe right now?

Foster and Torres stood silently in his office, watching his troubled behavior. What was he thinking right now?

Could they find the brothers?

"Foster, call Reynolds." Cal ordered, stopping to sit on his desk. She nodded and stepped out of the room, leaving Ria to stand alone with her boss.

"What's going on, Lightman?" she said quietly, her voice suppressed by a combination of fear and worry. He was silent, trying to decide whether he should tell her or not. "I think I'm the only one here who doesn't know what's going on. Eli is my coworker and I want to know what's happening right now!"

"Liam came to him with some money issues." Cal sighed, eager to pacify her. "Loker didn't have the money, so he was trying to find other ways to get it, alright? That's why he was in the underground poker game and that's why he's all bloodied up."

"How much money?" Ria queried, folding her arms.

"I don't know, but I'm assuming more than twelve thousand." Cal grumbled.

"More than _twelve thousand_?" Torres exclaimed, her eyes widening with surprise. Ria couldn't believe her ears. Liam had pulled Eli into something like _this_? "How did you find out about this?"

"I found him when I was going to the poker joint for a case." Lightman explained. "I took him home after they kicked him around." Ria wasn't sure what to think about all this. She was angry at Liam, but Eli was partially to blame for his own choices. Besides, right now wasn't the time to be angry for the two; she was scared.

"I just called Reynolds, he should be on his way." Foster informed them, coming back into the office with a deep breath. "I hope we find them."

* * *

"Get him out of the car." the young man snarled, getting out of the vehicle himself. Eli hardly had time to prepare himself before he was snatched out of the backseat and pushed towards the direction of his apartment.

"You boys, don't leave the car. I'm sure we'll be back in a jiffy." the leader told the two thugs in the other automobile, then turning back to the one beside him. "Let's go! I don't have all day!" The henchman, with Eli grasped painfully in his fat fingers, shoved Eli onwards. He obviously didn't care how much pain he was causing to the stumbling, dizzy researcher.

As they reached the stairs, Eli was practically dragged up the steps, his shins getting bruised further as they hit the wooden edges. When they reached the top, Eli was trying his hardest not to hiss in pain.

"Break down the door; we can't waste time looking for a key." the boss whispered, taking hold of Loker while his sidekick coiled for attack on the door.

_Bam_!

Eli watched dazedly as his front door was ruthlessly kicked in, allowing his captors to enter in without permission. He was horrified at how easy it was to invade his home, sickened by the prospect that this could've happened the whole time he was living here. Eli thought he was safe in his apartment, but what a ridiculous belief that seemed now.

He was forced inside and pushed to the ground, grunting painfully as his hands were unable to cushion his fall. His aching head hit the hardwood floor, sending spots in his vision.

"Where is my money?" the villain growled, kicking Eli in the ribs and all his breath with it.

"It's…It's under my bed." Eli gasped, clenching his teeth to quell his screams of pain. But, he should scream; his neighbors would hear him. On the other hand, he may be executed right here, right now without so much as a final word.

"I'll get it. You stay with him." the leader commanded, walking away to investigate the other rooms. Eli tried to stay quiet, listening to the footsteps of his enemy echoing through the floor. All he could do was wait, but it was terrifying. How could he know what would happen next?

The young man came back, holding up the dreaded bag of money in his greedy mitts. Eli hated that victorious look on his face. If he was able, he would've thrown a good, heavy punch at his teeth with the hope to knock out a few.

"Let's get out of here before the cops come or something." the boss mumbled, stepping over Eli and exiting the apartment. Loker was painfully grabbed off the floor and roughly forced back to the car. He tried his best to fight against his captor, wriggling with what little strength he had left; struggling with all he had.

_No! _his mind screamed. _No! Help! Somebody help me!_

He knew that he was as good as dead when he was forced back into that car.

Desperately, he wished that Lightman would find him; that _anyone_ would find him. Preferably, he would like to be found before he was brutally murdered or abandoned to die. But, even if not then, he wished for both his and Liam's bodies to be found and buried properly. At least he would want that for his parents' sake, to give them closure and to help them mourn their loss more suitably. He didn't want his mother to be one of those people that hopes her boys are alive, even though they've been missing for years. Eli didn't want her to convince herself they were still breathing somewhere and that she was waiting for them to return home. He didn't want that; he didn't even want to think about it.

Loker didn't even want to think about how he and Liam were going to be disposed of.

He hoped for a quick death.

* * *

"Lightman." Cal answered, his cell phone pressed to his ear.

"It's Reynolds. I'm on my way to Loker's apartment. The cops just got some calls about a break in." Ben grumbled on the other end. Cal sighed, clenching and unclenching his teeth; what was he about to learn about his employee? Would they find him dead in the apartment? Would they not find him at all? What about Liam?

"Alright, I'll be there." Lightman replied, snapping his phone shut. He gazed at the device for moment, organizing his thoughts and questions in his mind. With a deep breath, he broke away from his daze and made his way to his car. Now was the beginning of a truly awful nightmare and he was about to step into it.

He could already see the pale corpses in his head.

* * *

_Author's Note: Oooh, what a creepy last line. O.O Well, I hope that was exciting for you guys. :) Please review! Also, I was wondering...for anybody who likes the show Leverage...Do you think I should write an Eliot Leverage fic? I seem so attached to "Lie to Me." Maybe I should try something new?_


	8. Bonds of Red Ribbons

**_Disclaimer: Yeppers, don't own "Lie to Me."_**

_Author's Note: HEY! I am sorry for the delay...again! school is crazy sometimes and sometimes I'm distracted enough that I have to keep getting in the mood to write and stuff...yeah. Hey, thanks for the reviews so far. Thanks for reading! :D I hope you enjoy the next chapter. O.O_**_  
_**

* * *

**8. Bonds of Red Ribbons**

Liam groaned groggily as he slid his eyes open. It took awhile for his vision to focus while his head pounded painfully, momentarily confusing his emotions as well as his senses.

_"Where am I?"_ he thought as his vision began to clear. At first, he thought he was against a wall. Only moments later, he realized that he was lying on a dirty floor, stains splattered over the cement surface. As his nose picked up the musty smell of the mysterious room, his memory flooded back to him.

The money.

The attack.

Eli.

"Eli!" he shouted, sitting up abruptly. Immediately, his head ached and he pressed a hand against his skull to dull the pain.

"What?" came the raspy reply. Liam turned his head to see Eli leaning wearily against the corner of the room. He looked exhausted and pale, molding a truly pathetic appearance.

"Oh, good, you're alive." Liam sighed with relief. Eli didn't reply, but continued to breathe in a steady rhythm while his eyes slid closed. He was so tired and he hurt so much. Eli just wanted this all to go away; he just didn't want this to happen anymore.

"Hey, E. You alright, buddy?" Liam asked, examining his brother closely as he read the feelings of pain and misery. Eli cracked open his eyes, continuing his steady breathing as he gazed at his brother with near dead eyes.

"I'm fine." he lied, his voice barely coming out in a whisper. He couldn't let Liam know that this was the end for them both. They wouldn't last that much longer in the hands of their enemies; Eli probably wouldn't last long enough to see their captors again. Liam hadn't noticed yet. Eli was trying his best to hide it from him. But his efforts weren't quite enough.

Liam jumped up with a shocked look on his face, startling Eli a little.

"You're bleeding! Eli, you're bleeding!" he shouted, pointing at Eli's abdomen. Liam knew something had been off. He could see the sweat on his sibling's face; the unusually white tint to his skin; the other strange signs of something he hadn't comprehended.

His brother was dying.

His brother was bleeding in a corner of an empty, unknown room.

"What the hell happened?" he demanded, fear and dread enveloping his mind. Eli weakly shook his head, not intending to explain. Liam didn't need to know. It was all going to be over soon anyway.

"Damn it, Eli, what happened?" Liam yelled, his voice on the edge of hysteria. His eyes burned as he felt the tears collecting, threatening to spill down his cheeks. Eli stared at him with a nearly numb expression, losing the energy to even move his face muscles.

"There's nothing you can do about it now." Eli murmured, coughing a little as a chill moved through his veins. Liam was horrified, praying that he had just awoken to a nightmare. For all his years, he _never_ imagined his brother's ending to be like this. If he had to die young, it would be something normal, like a car accident…or maybe even trying to save a young woman from a mugging. Eli had always been more noble than him, so it just didn't suit his sibling to end up dying in this way, in this place.

Liam snapped back to the reality in front of him, immediately, taking off his shirt and kneeling by Eli. He pushed his sibling's arm away, pressing the shirt against the wound in desperation. If he could have, he would've made a proper bandage out of his shirt. But he was too weak to rip it into strips and he wasn't as confident in his bandaging as he was with the pressure his hands could provide. Eli yelped in pain, squirming a little while his eyes squeezed shut.

"I want to know what happened." Liam huffed, the fear quickening his breathing. Eli tried to relax a little as tears slipped from his eyes.

"I should've known it would happen." he whispered.

* * *

_Eli groaned as they pulled him out of car. He was trying to decide if he was still scared or not. No, he was scared; he was just tired of being frightened._

_ "Take the older one and kill him." the young man ordered with a nonchalant sigh. A thug dragged the unconscious Liam across the concrete while Eli stared with wide eyes._

_ "No!" he shouted, blood painting images in his head. He couldn't just watch quietly while his brother was taken off to his death. The men ignored him, trying to stop his wriggling with tightened grips._

_ "No! Don't!" Eli yelled, squirming despite the protests of his body. In desperation, he elbowed his captors harshly, bolting for his brother's future murderer. Eli didn't waste time; he dove right into the man, knocking him to the floor as he tackled him with all of his pathetic weight. With the aid of adrenaline and strong feelings of protection for his sibling, he wrestled with the muscular man, striving for victory. Surprisingly, he fought a good fight, throwing more punches than he knew he had. Eli could feel his boyhood coming back to him. The constant fights in middle school; the many times he had pressed his fist against faces; the several bloody noses he'd doled out._

_ The old Eli was back…even if it was only for a moment._

_ "What are you doing? Get rid of him!" the leader growled angrily, impatient with this unforeseen predicament. Eli didn't even have the chance to retreat before he felt cold metal sliding into his abdomen. The pain exploded down his nerves, wracking his body with an ache that could hardly be described. He didn't notice how limp he'd gone until his opponent shoved him off with ease. Eli felt queasy as his hand found the handle of a knife sticking out of his body. It was just wrong to feel, let alone imagine._

_ His eyes wandered to Liam, who was once again being dragged away._

NO!_ he thought. _No, don't take him!

_"Wait." the boss commanded, smirking as he made his way to Eli. "Throw them in the same room together. He'll suffer more by watching his brother die." The young man cackled, setting a foot on Eli's stomach and bending down to examine Eli's face._

_ "Poor little brother." he sighed, curling his fingers around the knife. "You just don't know how to fight dirty."_

_ Harshly, he tugged the weapon out of Eli's body, a grin on his face._

_ Eli cried out in agony._

_

* * *

_

Cal stood in the middle of Eli's apartment, sighing as he felt the gray hairs growing on his head. Everyone was looking to him, wondering what he would do. Their question was not _if_ he could find them, but rather _when_. It was almost too much pressure for him to bear and he couldn't dare let himself think about if they didn't find the two men…or if they were just too late. Sure, he would rather find the siblings than not at all, but he cringed to think about finding the corpses so ruthlessly treated and tortured. What were they doing right now? Which brother was comforting the other, or had they both lost their wits? If he did get Eli back, would he be the same person?

Would he be able to handle people anymore?

Cal wouldn't be surprised if Loker came out of this hating the human race and shying away from every living organism. Lightman knew that Liam would come out of this a completely different person altogether, but that really depended on whatever happened in this traumatic event.

"Lightman."

Cal turned around to find Agent Reynolds standing behind him, his arms folded tightly.

"The neighbors said they saw some strangers kick in the door. They thought they saw Loker with them, but they weren't sure. Anyway, it sounds like there was some kind of hostile situation going on here. Based on what the neighbors said, I don't think we have much time left to find Loker and his brother." Ben explained, sighing irritably afterwards. Cal dropped his eyes down, scared at what this meant. They had no leads at this point, just ticking minutes.

This case was going cold.

"What happened to Eli?"

Cal looked up at the open front door, blocked off with yellow tape. A young woman with groceries stood at the threshold, looking intent on finding answers.

"Ma'am, we can't release any information to you." replied a cop, hoping it would shoo her away. She continued to stare at the man, looking horrified that he would say that to her.

"Excuse me, but I'm concerned as to what happened to my neighbor. I want to know what my tax dollars are doing to help find him." she spat bitterly. "I'd like to know that my money is being used to investigate what can be done to help a kind, innocent man rather than the investigation of how fast fingernails grow. Eli Loker isn't just some drug dealer with a careless life of crime. He's a responsible, good man. I think he deserves to be respected as such!" The officer sighed in irritation, about to rearrange the words he'd already said.

"Look, Miss, we just can't—"

"Oi, I'll take this one over, yeah?" Cal interrupted, approaching the situation with his hands dug in his pockets. He could read the genuine anger and concern on her face; the signs of familiarity softening her harsh expression. She knew Eli better than a stranger and she was fighting for him. At least, that's what she believed. Her face had told him so.

"You knew 'im?" Cal inquired, squinting in his usual manner. Her bottom lip stiffened while she calmed herself.

"Yes." she answered with a quiet voice. "Eli comes over for dinner every Sunday. My husband and I live just over there." She pointed at the door directly across from Loker's apartment while Cal leaned a little to catch a look. "Last night I heard a crash, so I looked out the window to see what's going on. I saw Eli getting kicked around by a couple of guys and I called the cops. I would've gone out there myself, but my husband wasn't home and I saw a gun." She took a deep breath, most likely trying to calm herself from uneasy feelings. "Can you tell me what's going on here?" Cal was silent for a moment, tipping his head to the side as he thought about what to say.

"Loker's in a bit o' trouble." he sighed. "He's missing." The young woman's mouth dropped and her groceries nearly slipped out of her arms. "Did you happen to see anything else? What kind of car they drove? What the men looked like?" Her lips pursed as determination and anger molded her guise.

"Oh, I got a good look at those freaks." she snarled. "I've got a photographic memory; all I needed was one glance at their faces." Cal raised his eyebrows at her sudden fire and thirst for vengeance, surprised by her loyalty for her friend.

"Are you sure you could remember so perfectly?" he asked, doubtful of her claims.

"Yeah, I'm sure." she replied toughly. "Eli is a good friend to James and me. I can't forget somebody who threatens people I care about. My husband and I will do anything to bring Eli back to our dinner table."

It was odd how Cal hadn't thought much about Loker out of work. He didn't really think about what kind of family situation his employee had, or what other friends existed beyond the office. Cal only noticed what went on in front of his face or what he'd heard with his own ears. All this information almost collapsed what he knew about Eli and forced him to rebuild.

He realized he didn't understand Loker's character at all.

Cal never pondered how Eli had gotten the way he was and he never fathomed that the young man had any hardships or trials in his life. Everything in the present indicated he was doing quite fine: Loker attended MIT; he was always so cheerful; he had every ability he needed to do his job well and succeed in what he needed to.

Eli Loker was always just fine.

But he had no clue about Eli's secret life. There was nothing that stood out to him; no odd behaviors or heavy expressions. When Eli was at work, he was exclusively at work and acted as such. Outside forces didn't affect him while I was in the office.

"What is your name?" the young woman asked. Cal wondered if his name was relevant to this conversation, but decided that it didn't really matter if it was or not.

"Dr. Cal Lightman." he replied. Oddly, he felt like he should be more polite around this woman; perhaps it was just the dire situation he was ailed with.

"Well, Dr. Lightman, the next few hours are going to be some of the most important in our lives."

* * *

_Author's Note: WOAH! Craziness. Well, thanks for reading, please review and tell me what you think!_


	9. The Death of Happiness

_**Disclaimer: I don't own "Lie to Me."**_

_Author's Note: Wow, guys, I am sorry that I keep taking so long. It is NaNoWriMo time after all and classes, work and stuff take my precious fanfic time! Thanks for all the reviews anyway and I hope this next chapter is exciting for you guys. Thanks a bunch!**  
**_

* * *

**9. The Death of Happiness**

"I'm tired, Liam." Eli whispered, his half open eyes looking up lazily.

"I know." Liam huffed, his insides twisting at the sight of Eli's pale skin. It was too white. "But you can't go to sleep right now. That crazy boss still has to find you." Eli smirked at the mention of Lightman, the thoughts in his mind swirling into darkness. He didn't want to think anymore, but he just couldn't leave Liam on his own.

"Do you…Do you remember when you slipped on the ice one winter…and you ended up hitting your head?" Liam asked quietly, smiling slightly as to cover his true feelings. Eli chuckled softly, recalling the event with fondness.

"I remember the time before I hit my head and when I woke up in the hospital." Eli mumbled slowly. "But you told me the story later."

"Of course! I was sure to tell you all about it." Liam laughed, calming down slightly. "It was the one time that you were doing something completely harmless and you ended up in the hospital anyway." A grin flooded his features as he remembered the irony of the situation. Eli couldn't help but be warmed by the positive expression on his brother's face, being filled with a warmth he was sure he'd lost in the last two days.

But then the smile slid right off Liam's face.

Instead, it was replaced by a somber, scared expression. Eli wasn't the best lie detector ever; he wasn't the greatest at reading expressions. But, even while he was bleeding to death, he could see the fear dug up from the deep past and the sorrow deep in Liam's face.

"You were completely still." Liam explained darkly, his eyes filling with shadows and nightmares. "There wasn't even a yell of pain. I was scared…so, so scared. I thought I was going to lose my one and only sibling that day. I screamed for mom and dad until I was so hoarse that my voice was gone for days." Eli squinted weakly, trying to understand why Liam was telling him this. Perhaps his brain had lost too much of its strength to fully comprehend the meaning of things.

"I have never been so scared in my life..." Liam whispered. "…except for right now."

Eli watched his brother's face closely.

That brotherly bond had never gone away. It was just buried under bitter emotions and pride. When all that filth was scraped away—leaving the raw, naked insides of their relationship—they were still brothers in heart and mind. They would always be that way. Eli could get angry until he was purple; Liam could treat his sibling like a bank all he liked. But they would always be the same brothers that crouched in the field to catch grasshoppers and mice. In their minds, they would always be racing each other on dirt bikes.

They were Liam and Eli. The inseparable Loker brothers.

They could never be completely severed from each other.

"Hey…" Eli sighed, smiling weakly. "I did this one for you." Liam didn't want to hear that; he resembled somebody that had just been stabbed in the heart. Eli barely shook his head and continued. "You always had the guts to do what I couldn't. Anna Kingston would never have gone to the homecoming dance with me if you hadn't asked for me." Liam burst out laughing.

"How did I even get away with that?" he teased, his eyes burning as he watched Eli's eyelids get heavier and heavier.

"You told her I was meaning to ask her, but that I had heard that Daniel Richards was going to ask her." Eli mumbled, the corner of his mouth twitching upward.

"Wow, that was risky of me." Liam laughed, secretly worrying as Eli looked sicker and sicker; weaker and weaker. "He was the captain of the football team, right?"

"That's the one." Eli barely whispered. "Point is…you've done a lot for me. I just thought that it was my turn to save you…I wasn't…I wasn't going to…" Eli's eyes began to flutter closed as the last bit of color drained his face.

"I wasn't going to let you die…"

Liam's blood pumped in terror while his eyes took in his sibling's smooth face, appearing as if it were carved out of marble. This couldn't be it. This couldn't be his last memory of Eli. This couldn't be what he thought about while he stood at the funeral. This just couldn't be the scene Liam would tell their mother about.

This was the wrong time in the wrong place.

* * *

"Here." Livya, Eli's neighbor, offered as she held out a paper with numbers scribbled across it.

"Wha' is this?" Cal inquired, sipping at his tea. He and Ben were sitting in Livya's living room, discussing his employee in more depth than he ever had before.

"It's a list of his parents' various phone numbers. He gave it to my husband and me in case of an emergency. Like, if he had been unreachable when something happened. I never expected it to be used for something like this." Livya mumbled, sighing with sorrow. "If you do end up calling them, please be delicate with them. They've had a hard enough time as it is between the two sons."

"We'll do our best." Ben informed her professionally. If anything was going to assure her, it wasn't Reynolds' stiff statement. She shot him a suspicious look, already imagining a cold voice blurting out the bad luck of the Loker family. Eli's mother was going to bawl her eyes out.

"You and Loker are only friends, correct?" Reynolds asked, implying a tenderer subject. Livya's eyes widened with rage and her hands tightened with his slight suggestion.

"Of course we are. I'm _married_." she groused. "Eli was never inappropriate towards me. He's always been very respectful." Lightman could see the serious irritation in her features and the lack of intimate affection for Loker. She was telling the truth.

"Have you noticed any strange activities at Mr. Loker's lately?" Reynolds probed, ignoring her glare of knives.

"No." she said immediately. Her answer was much too quick; Reynolds and Lightman stared at her with a silent command for a better explanation. "Well…" Livya mumbled slowly. "unless you count Eli's brother visiting. I'm only assuming it's his brother, considering they look so alike. Eli doesn't talk about his brother much. Sometimes he may mention here and there that his parents are having a hard time with Liam, but not really any details." She sighed, thinking about the present worries. Would her neighbor ever return home? "If you want more answers, I suggest you call his parents. Eli seems rather close with them; he might've told them more than he did me."

Cal didn't want to call Mr. and Mrs. Loker. Being a parent himself, he could only imagine what it would be like to get a call that your sons were missing, maybe even dead. He didn't even want to think about it.

"We'll do that. Thank you, Ms. Carson." Ben told her professionally. "In the meantime, I'll need you to come with me and talk to an artist. It would be helpful to have a somewhat accurate drawing of these guys."

"Oh, of course. Let me just grab my things." she replied, immediately standing up to collect her purse and coat. As soon as she was out of earshot and busy with her quick task, Ben leaned closer to Cal.

"That means that you're going to have to call the Lokers." he whispered. Cal internally cringed, not wanting to be in the same building as that phone call. Of course, he would have Torres or Gillian carry out the call, seeing as they had much more tender hearts than him. But, he couldn't stand the thought of the Lokers' pain and tortured feelings. He could relate to them and their deepest fears of parenthood.

"Yeah, yeah." he grumbled, trying to pull off his usual casual demeanor.

* * *

"No, no, no. Eli, wake up! Come on, E, you've gotta wake up!" Liam shouted, breathing heavily. He desperately tapped at his brother's face. "You can't leave mom and dad with me! I'm not the responsible son!" Eli remained unconscious, cold and pale. Part of Liam hoped he would spring back to life like when he was a little boy, but the other side of Liam knew it wouldn't happen.

He knew he was alone now.

"Why? Why him?" Liam cried, tears slipping down his face. Of the two brothers it had to be the one that actually tried to live a right life. Those years of school and working at the Lightman Group…was it all in vain? Liam wanted to think that Eli had found some joy in his life, despite his obvious distaste of his boss's antics and behaviors. He wanted to think that Eli always had a reason to smile. Liam wanted to believe that he wasn't as big of a burden to his brother as he had been recently.

Liam looked down at his hands, smeared with blood and holding onto crimson fabric. Hastily wiping the tears off his face with his wrist, Liam took the bloody shirt in his two hands and spread it out as wide as he could. With a growl of effort, he ripped it into separate pieces, quickly tied them together and did his best to tightly wrap it around Eli and his injury.

"Come on, E. Live…" he muttered, looping the last knot. His brow furrowed into something deeper than sorrow while his chest burned with a held sob.

"Live, Eli."

Liam could hardly handle that bloodless, still face. It was the kind of image that sucked every drop of hope from a single person's soul. His lower lip stiffened as tears gathered in his eyes, dangerously balancing on the edge of his eyelids. He gasped as grief overtook his lungs and the sob found its way out of his heart.

The tears fell freely.

Liam carefully gathered Eli's head and shoulders into his lap. He gently cradled his brother in his arms, sitting casually against the wall while his hope abandoned him.

"It's not fair, E." he sobbed, looking down at the frightfully peaceful face. "Why do the good have to die young?" Liam's body shook with his sudden depression, the cries vibrating through his body and robbing the warmth and joy of life from him.

It was a cold, cold world; he surely felt it now.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered. "I'm sorry…I screwed up so bad." Liam didn't want to tell himself that it was too late to apologize; he couldn't take that weight of guilt on top of everything else. "I lied to you…I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry…"

The soft, tearful confession echoed throughout the room, bouncing off earless walls and pulsing right through Liam. Nobody cared what he had to say. It wasn't going to fix anything; it wasn't going to call the paramedics; it wasn't even going to make Liam feel better.

"Don't leave me here." Liam sobbed.

* * *

Cal didn't want to be present when Gillian made that call. But, for some reason, he couldn't tear himself away. He kept thinking: what if this was Emily? How would he feel? He could only imagine the horror that hid inside the news, ready to spring on the unsuspecting parents. Cal could already see the scene. Mrs. Loker might be in the kitchen, baking something or other, while Mr. Loker watched television in the living room. No warning, just a normal day…except for the one call to shatter their lives.

The one call that any parent fears.

Right now, Foster was pacing with the phone to her ear. It was obvious she was still waiting for someone to answer. Then, somebody did.

"Oh, hi, Mrs. Loker?" Gillian asked in that continually clear voice. Cal felt something inside him wither and die. If anybody answered the phone, he begged for it to be the father. Mothers would fall apart immediately by such news. Cal continued to listen, looking almost pained by the waiting.

"Hi, this is Dr. Gillian Foster. I'm one of your son Eli's employers." Foster greeted, already putting on her sweet, comforting voice. "Yes, he's a great worker. Yes…but there's been some bad news regarding both your sons…Perhaps you should sit down Mrs. Loker…Hi, Mr. Loker, I was just telling your wife…oh, you heard. Yes, there's terrible news about your sons." Cal remained quiet as she continued this talk with the husband, already envisioning Eli's mother gasping for air while she comprehended the words "bad" and "news."

"Mr. Loker, your sons have been abducted. They're missing." Gillian blurted, her eyes already reddening with the stress of the call. She was huffing, probably struggling with her own personal pains.

"The FBI are on the case." Gillian mumbled. Eli's father spoke some garbled words on the other end, sounding somewhat flustered and afraid. She replied with quiet answers that Cal couldn't hear, not that he wanted to. When she finally ended the call, he caught himself sitting up straighter with an expecting look on his face.

"They're coming to the Lightman Group."

* * *

_Author's Note: I hope that chapter was entertaining for you guys. :) If I take more than a week to update, feel free to message me or something to remind me! Please review! :)_


	10. A Mother in Distress

_**Disclaimer: I don't own "Lie to Me."**_

_Author's Note: Guys, I'm sorry I'm being so flaky! Man, I need to get down to some serious work on these fanfics! Alright, this chapter could be looked at as a filler chapter, but I hope it's still interesting. Since I've dragged this out so long, just know that this is all before the marvelous Agent Reynolds is no longer with the team...Mostly because I like Reynolds better than the cop lady, but partly because I took forever. Enjoy!...I hope.**  
**_

* * *

**10. Mother in Distress**

Liam was in agony.

It was bad enough that Eli was so pale and cold, but it was worse that he was still alive, crawling along in life with a slow pulse. Liam felt like his pain was being mocked. His hope would probably start to rise again, then Eli would slip from his grasp to leave Liam crashing back down again.

He could only think about how much he seemed to ignore Eli. How much advice Eli tried to give him, or when he tried to keep him from breaking the law, and Liam only waved it away without a second thought. He always told himself that Eli was just the little brother; what did he know? It took disaster to prove that Liam's kid brother knew a lot. He knew a sense of urgency that Liam never recognized and a responsibility Liam never understood. If he had only listened to Eli, he would have a much better life instead of scrounging around for money and doing what he thought was fun. Liam had always assumed that Eli's life was boring, but he never took the time to really understand what kind of person Eli was these days. For one, he had a lot of people who cared about him at the Lightman Group. Even that crazy boss of his seemed to worry about Eli.

Liam kind of missed that.

In his recent life, nobody cared about him. Not a single girl he's dated, or a thug he played weekly poker with. In his kind of world, nobody trusted anybody. It was all about greed and wanting.

Behind him, he could hear the door creak open.

"Boss wants to talk to you."

* * *

Cal was fidgety. Gillian knew why but she wasn't about to call him on it. Everything on his face screamed that he was worried and concerned, a rare look for the master liar. Not a single muscle was attempting to mask his feelings, making a sorry image for Foster to watch.

The Lokers were expected to come in any moment and Cal didn't know how he could face them. It was different for a family of strangers, where he didn't know the child or family circumstances. But he knew Eli and he knew that the kid probably had parents that loved and cherished him. Even for Cal, it was hard to even think about losing Eli.

Imagine what it was like for his parents to lose _both_ of their sons.

"Um…Dr. Foster?"

The secretary stood at the door, traces of sorrow on her face. Everybody knew what was coming next, and they weren't sure what to think of it.

"The Lokers are here."

"Alright, send them in here." Gillian ordered, sighing and looking down at the ground. The secretary left Cal and Gillian alone in his office, both pondering how they would deal with this new situation. How do you deal with the grieving parents of a prized employee?

When the two came into the room, an air of complete depression followed them, nearly suffocating all other moods. Cal gathered up the courage to look at the parents, cringing while he took in the devastated expressions and deep worry lines.

Mr. Loker had the same dark signature waves of hair as his sons with a barely more muscular build. The smile lines on his face were etched more clearly than those of grief, but his guise held the look of an experienced and wise man. Cal almost felt as if his intelligence was challenged just by looking at Mr. Loker.

Mrs. Loker was a slender woman with long, auburn hair. She had wound her locks into a braid, keeping her face completely open for inspection. Unlike her husband, wrinkles of worry were starting to settle into her delicate features, marks of happiness lying faint on her skin. She clung to her husband like he was the only thing solid and true in the whole world.

"Dr. Lightman, it's nice to finally meet the man behind the name." Mr. Loker greeted stiffly, holding out his hand. Cal felt oddly intimidated by this man, wondering why Eli hadn't captured the same behaviors. He shook the man's hand and examined his new subject more thoroughly. Behind the sorrow, fear and anger swimming in Mr. Loker's eyes, he could see the familiar spark of life Eli had.

"Mr. Loker, I'm sorry 'bout all this." he quietly apologized, looking over at the poor mother for a small moment.

"Please, call me Joseph." Mr. Loker corrected, smiling weakly. Cal could tell he wasn't the type of man to even consider being called "Joe" or anything like it. "This is my wife, Andy." Andy gave a tiny nod in acknowledgement, but didn't say a word.

"Please, sit." Gillian offered, gesturing towards seats in Cal's office. The Lokers nodded and thanked her quietly, taking their seats on the couch. They always stayed close as if depending on each other.

"Is there any news on my boys?" Andy managed to squeak out. Joseph rubbed her back with a comforting hand, watching her with concern.

"Nothing yet." Foster replied sadly, avoiding eye contact out of discomfort.

"Do you know why this happened? Do you know how it got to this point?" Liam inquired, the fire of a father evident on his face. "I know Liam can be a bit…unwise in his decisions, but he's always managed to keep out of the worst trouble." Cal looked to Gillian, both looking unsure if they wanted to explain the circumstances to the Lokers. Joseph sighed and Cal turned to find the man staring intently at him.

"Perhaps it's best if we keep most of the details to ourselves." Gillian suggested. Andy turned to her husband and they both gazed at each other, a message passing through their invisible connection. But, both doctors knew she was pleading for more answers. She just wanted to know what was happening to her children.

"Do you two have any children?" Joseph asked, looking between Cal and Gillian. Gillian shook her head while Cal took a deep breath.

"Yeah, I've got a daughter." he admitted, predicting a cliché "you know what it's like" speech.

"Alright, so you're probably scared of what she'll get into when she's not home. But your more frightened of the boys she dates and spends her time with because you know what boys are like." Joseph explained. Cal wasn't sure where this was going. "Well, we raised those boys. We had the kind of boys that dads, like you, fear. When they were little, it was tiring but we thought it was just some boyish fun. After they started getting into their teen years, we'd always wonder if they were making the right choices, staying safe, or treating girls with respect. We wanted to know where they were, what they were doing and what we would have to deal with after they finished making their own mess of things. Right now, all we know is that are sons are missing, but it's killing us. Neither of us know what to expect or what to actually fear and we are tired of wondering and guessing. We've exhausted our anticipation and patience over the long years. Just tell us what is going on with our sons."

Cal's jaw tightened as he contemplated Joseph's words. Their fear wasn't new, just reborn and deepened. The worry had never truly gone away, especially with Liam running around finding new risks and dangers. Perhaps that was why Eli hadn't even suggested turning to his parents for help. He wanted to protect them from situations like these. Despite how open Eli appeared to be, he had never even mentioned his family in passing conversation. Cal was certain that if Loker had been asked about his family, he would slyly change the subject.

"There's nothing I can tell you to make you feel better." Cal mumbled. "Your boys are in some serious trouble." Joseph sighed while Andy swallowed visibly, but Cal knew they were still craving the awful the details. He turned to Gillian, silently informing her that he planned to spill the info. She glared at him, shaking her head slightly. As a psychiatrist, she often knew what was right to reveal and what wasn't. But, as a parent, Cal knew more about what the scared couple was thinking. They just wanted the truth.

That was what The Lightman Group specialized in, right?

"Liam had a little money trouble, so he came to Loker, uh…Eli for help. Eli didn't have enough money for all this, but he did his best to gather what he could for his brother. It wasn't enough and before we knew it, they were abducted. We suspect they were taken by the loan shark Liam borrowed from." Cal explained sorrowfully.

"Money trouble? Why didn't they just come to us?" Andy asked her husband, obviously concerned about the shyness of her sons.

"Well, then what do you suppose is happening to them?" Joseph inquired with a serious glint in his eye. Gillian sighed in effort to stop Cal. Lightman stayed quiet, pondering whether it was wise to tell the parents the usual suspicions of such a situation. Besides, he could hardly accept the common possibility himself.

He couldn't believe Eli was dead.

"Andy, why don't we get some tea?" Gillian suggested, standing up and offering Mrs. Loker a comforting smile. Andy looked to her husband, sniffling a little. He nodded, encouraging her to go with Gillian and calm her nerves. Hesitantly, Andy stood and the two women made their way out of the room and towards the break room. Gillian supposed that if Cal was going to talk, it'd be much better father to father. Mothers were usually more fragile.

"How are you feeling, Andy? Are you feeling okay?" Gillian asked sympathetically just as they entered into the break room. Andy took a moment to compose herself and dab her eyes with the tissue wound in her fingers.

"I'm fine; I suppose I shouldn't be surprised." she replied with a weak smile. Gillian gestured for her to sit at the small table while she busied herself with making tea.

"What do you mean?" Foster inquired. As bad as Liam seemed to be, he didn't seem like the type to take ridiculously risky chances and Eli just wasn't a daring kind of guy.

"My boys are daredevils." she chuckled weakly. "I used to think they were troublemakers, but now I think trouble just happens to find them." Foster quirked an eyebrow at the new information, never having suspected, in a million years, that Eli was a "daredevil." If Cal ever found out, he would be stuffed with glee. That is…if Eli ever came back.

No, he was coming back.

"Eli? A daredevil?" Gillian questioned. Right now, she would just have to concentrate on lifting Andy's spirits.

"Well," Andy laughed, sniffling at the same time. "he would follow Liam wherever he went. Liam would put him up to all sorts of things. I can probably get some sort of medical degree with what injuries I had to mend in their childhood." Andy stared at the ground, the wheels turning in her head as she pondered the past. "Those two were inseparable." She sighed and fidgeted a little in her seat. "When Eli started avoiding Liam, I knew something was wrong. Especially when Eli hit the books and his grades improved. He was always a smart boy and he always caught on to things quickly, but he wouldn't work as hard in school unless he was upset. I suppose it's an odd habit, how he would suppress his anger by doing his homework." Gillian turned to return to the table with the tea. Oddly enough, Andy looked more peaceful when she talked about the happier times. "Perhaps it was because it was the only thing that set those two apart. Liam wouldn't be caught dead studying." Gillian set the tea carefully on the table, wondering at this odd information. Eli had ended up a researcher and he constantly studied and learned new things; would that mean that he was still upset? Was he upset about Liam? Or was it something else?

"He was a sweet boy. If Liam wasn't with him, he'd hardly get into trouble at all." Andy chuckled. "But that was rare. I miss the days when Eli was happy."

"Is he unhappy?" Gillian asked, alarmed. She had never caught on if he truly was troubled. Perhaps he had mastered lying in the terms of keeping his problems to himself.

"He would never say it, but I know he is. Whenever Liam's name is mentioned, he gets quiet." Andy replied, sipping at her tea. She was still sniffling and teary, trying to hide her returning grief with the talk of sadder times. Her teacup shook in her hand, rippling the liquid. Gillian wanted to know more about Eli's secret feelings, concerned about it and the fact that she had never suspected it. But, right now, it wasn't the right time to discuss it with Andy. Andy needed to think of more positive times and find hope, rather than pile up her fears and sorrow in her mind.

"Tell me more about when your sons were young. I want to hear some good stories." Foster chuckled, a smile spreading across her face as she picked up her teacup.

* * *

_Author's Note: Shmerr...I hope that was interesting. Please review!_


	11. The Anticipation's Killing Somebody

**_Disclaimer: I don't own the stuff, I just write things._**

_Author's Note: Heck, guys, I am just not doing so great with the updating. I'm having a bit of writer's block. Not so much on how the story will go, just how to connect all the events and things in a string of words. Thanks for your patience! Yep, I finished finals last week, finally flew home for the winter break and __now my family's all rolling into town. Busy time, but not busy enough for all this terrible slacking! I apologize. Thanks for those of you who kept reminding me and encouraging me to write the next chapter! Really, it helped. The story right now seems a little slow, but I'm hoping to get through all the blah stuff soon and get to the good parts of the tale! Hopefully, you'll enjoy this next chapter._**_  
_**

* * *

**11. The Anticipation's Killing Somebody**

"Dr. Lightman, just give me a straight answer. Do you have any idea where my boys are?" Joseph inquired, causing Cal to release a sigh. He was usually blunt, but now he wanted to remain as vague as possible. Still, Joseph wanted a "straight answer."

"We have no idea where your sons are, Joseph." Cal admitted quietly. Joseph swallowed hard and glanced at the ground, trying his best to keep his composure.

"Thank you." he whispered, swallowing again. His face was getting pale, the dark, brunette waves standing out against the colorless skin. Joseph had obviously lost all hope in one, quick instant. Cal wouldn't allow himself to accept the same fate for the Loker boys; his team was going to find them, they just had to.

There was a knock on the office door, alerting the two men to pull themselves together and face the world. Cal looked up: Torres.

"Reynolds is here." she said in a soft voice, sensing that she was interrupting an important conversation. Cal jumped up, eager to find some other clue to set them in the right direction.

"Excuse me, Joseph." Cal mumbled, quickly following Ria out of the room and towards the FBI agent out in the broad hallway. Reynolds looked serious, as usual, but he didn't even have a hint of excitement. Most likely, there weren't any important leads.

"We got a few sketches out of Mrs. Carson's description." Reynolds explained, offering the portraits that artists scratched out as they listened to Eli's neighbor, Livya. Cal snatched them from Ben, peering at each one, hoping to recognize a guy or two.

One man did seem very familiar.

"Do you still have her at the bureau?" Cal asked immediately, staring at the one drawing in particular.

"We just released her." Ben replied, furrowing his brows. "Why?" Cal sighed and looked up at Reynolds. How could he have missed the signs? Was he too distracted by the disaster?

"I'm thinking our Mrs. Carson isn't really Mrs. Carson." Cal muttered, holding up the sketch for Ben to see. "I buy coffee from this man everyday; he's a good, honest bloke."

* * *

Liam stumbled between two men, too distraught to even care. What were they going to do with Eli? He tried to look back, but a rough shove from one of the cronies forced his eyes forward.

"Please, this isn't my brother's fault! Drop him off at a hospital or a…or somebody's house! Please don't leave him there to die! There's still time to save him!" Liam pleaded, struggling against the strong grip of one of the henchman.

"Be quiet!" the other hissed, punching him across the face. "We're not the merciful type."

Liam pressed a hand to his face, nursing the new pain in his cheekbone. Of course, his entire head was throbbing as well as various muscles, but that was nothing compared to the misery enveloping his entire being.

He was dragged into a new room and pushed into a metal chair. Quickly, they tied his hands behind him, weaving the rope around his wrists and through the bars on the back of the chair. Liam wasn't going anywhere.

"Don't bother fidgeting." one of the men mumbled and the two of them exited the room with an intimidating air. Liam couldn't believe it. This was something that happened in nightmares. You don't get tied to a chair in real life with your brother dying in another room altogether. If anything, Liam thought he would be in the same room as his brother while Eli breathed his last breath. Could Liam even care what would happen to him at this point? Perhaps he could hope for a quick, painless death…or not _very_ painful, at least.

He glanced around the cement box, finding himself alone. Here he was, dying alone. It was all because he couldn't stop lying; couldn't stop feeling the rush; couldn't stop finding new ways to outsmart his enemies or the cops. He was always smiling because he was clueless. His father had always encouraged adventure, but he was straight with Liam when he realized what kind of dirt his son was digging into.

_"Liam, you need to be careful." _he had said. _"Someday, you're going to want to turn your life back around and it could be too late."_

_ "Yeah, right, pops."_ Liam replied. Everyone had always squealed of how hard and dangerous the life of a criminal and a liar could be, but it was the easiest thing in the world! Liam had thought his dad was wise until he knew more about his chosen lifestyle. He remembered thinking that if his dad knew how much better it was, he would be more approving.

_"Look, Liam. Sometimes things have to fall apart in order to fall together the right way. Sometimes disaster has to mess things up in order to rebuild a stronger foundation. One of these days, Liam, you'll be in a bad situation and you'll realize how wrong you've acted." _his dad advised. Liam gulped at the memory before the next words jumbled through his head. _"What will it take for you to change? Will it have to be at somebody else's expense?"_

_ It did, dad. It took Eli's life to make me want to change. _Liam thought sorrowfully. He should've listened then, but he was a proud son with a stubborn mind.

_"Yeah, right. I'll just make sure I'll never get caught_._" _he had scoffed, like he was challenging his father's logic. What would his dad say if he could see him now? Would he just shake his head with that I-knew-you-could-be-better expression? Would he feel sorry for Liam? Would he love Liam like he had always tried to? What would his mom say? What would she _do_?

What does this mean for his family?

* * *

"That is definitely not the same Mrs. Carson we saw." Reynolds sighed as he stared at the plasma screen. The real Olivia Carson was up on the screen smiling in a driver's license. Records showed that she and her husband were taking a trip in Mexico at the moment, leaving their apartment free and vulnerable for break-ins and criminal imposters. The fake Mrs. Carson had drawn their attention away from other neighbors and had tried to mislead them from the right clues. The imposter succeeded, if even for a few hours. Besides, right now, they didn't know where she was, but it was only a matter of time before they tracked her down.

"Did she leave any fingerprints?" Cal asked. His forte was spotting lies, not finding the liars by specific appearances.

"I'm sure my guys can find some at the bureau. There might even be fingerprints on the sketches." Reynolds explained, examining the drawings in the folder.

"Well, let's get on it then!" Cal ordered. He could feel that resurfacing fire in him, pushing him to finish the case with a happy ending. Eli was going to come home, and he was going to drag his brother with him. The Lokers wouldn't have to wonder what went wrong; they would just be happy that their children were alive and well.

It was all going to turn out fine.

Cal glanced behind him, realizing that Ben had already left the room, probably assigning an agent to take the sketches back to the bureau. After that, Ben would most likely make a quick call to check the tables or something for fingerprints.

Hopefully the prints were on the drawings; heaven knows how many people touched the same table.

Foster was still keeping company with Andy, trying her best to comfort the mother and keep her in a cheerful spirit. He was happy to see the two laughing every now and then, despite the occasional dab of tears in Andy's eyes. There was no need for Foster in the field. She was doing something better; he and Torres would just have to carry this case themselves.

"Do you really think they're okay?" Ria asked quietly. She had been nearly wordless throughout the conversation with Reynolds. Cal turned and looked at her, his expression relaying his astonishment of how she could even think things would end badly.

"Of course, love. We'll find them alive and well." he answered confidently.

* * *

Eli was wading in the darkness. His legs were heavy as he dragged them throughout the black ocean. He felt like he'd been pushing against the invisible force for awhile now and he was beginning to hit exhaustion. Eli couldn't remember why he was in such an awful place and there wasn't really a reason he should continue fighting forward. At least, he couldn't think of a suitable reason. What would it matter if he just sat down until somebody found him? He was tired and cold; he'd much rather stay where he was and rest. Taking a nap didn't seem like such a bad idea either. It would probably help distract him from the dull pain in his abdomen. Maybe it'd be gone by the time he woke up, since it was most likely a cramp from all the tough walking.

He laid down on the cold, lightless ground, curling up in an attempt to get warm.

When he woke up again, he'd figure things out.

* * *

"Her name is Virginia Blakely." Ben sighed, opening a file on the computer and spreading the picture across the screen. "They found her fingerprint on the glass door. Lucky catch." Cal huffed at this new development, preparing himself for another go at finding Eli. This time, he couldn't hit a dead end; he had to keep going until Eli was safe.

"I sent out her photo around town to keep an eye out for her and had an agent go back to the apartment in case she went there. Hopefully, it won't be long until somebody picks her up." Reynolds mumbled. "How are the Lokers doing?" Cal looked to Ben, spotting hints of concern. Eli must not have been as annoying to Reynolds as he originally thought.

"They're doing okay." he muttered, turning back to the photo of Virginia. "I'm sure they'll be better when they get their boys back." Ben was silent, his brow knit into something of worry. Cal sighed as he took in Reynolds' expression, irritated that everyone was doubting the possibility of a happy ending. "What's the matter with you now?"

"I have a bad feeling, Lightman. I'm not sure this is going to turn out well." Ben mumbled, folding his arms and gazing at Virginia Blakely's photo. Cal shoved his hands in his pockets and followed Reynolds stare.

"Well, that's not going to help anything, is it? We can't waste our time thinking about our bad feelings and it definitely won't make things easier. We're simply going to have to trust that we will find the Lokers, no matter what we think." Cal grumbled. Reynolds took a deep breath as he attempted to internalize Lightman's same thinking. The investigation was weighing down on all of them.

As they waited for news on Virginia Blakely, both Cal and Ben joined Joseph in the office. They might as well sit with the distraught father to distract them as well as comfort the poor man. Cal noticed that the man looked somewhat cheered by their presence; he just needed somebody to be with.

"Eli was your boy, huh? What was that like?" Reynolds scoffed, hoping to bring things to a lighter mood. Joseph smiled slightly, thinking back to warmer times.

"He was both a joy and a terror." Joseph chuckled as his eyes crinkled with a smile. "Eli's a smart kid and he can be a little fearless. It can be a tough combination to deal with." Joseph face became somber when his thoughts returned to the present. "He's a good son and I'm proud of him." Cal couldn't get over how similar Eli and Joseph were in behavior and looks and he was a little scared to know how long it would be before Eli adopted the same intimidating aura that his father had mastered. Although, a daunting Eli could be very useful for the company.

"How about Liam? Were you ever proud of him?" Cal asked. Ben shot him a look to imply that he was crossing the line, but when had Lightman ever listened to him?

"I can't say I was ever as proud of him as I was of Eli." Joseph admitted. "But I loved him just as much as I loved Eli. They've both got magnetic personalities, but they didn't make the same choices." Cal could see the mourning in Joseph's eyes and read the sorrow pooling in his features. There was no mistake that the man adored both his sons. It was almost strange to learn new things about Eli. Cal felt like he hadn't even made an effort to really know his employee, or that he simply hadn't paid as much attention as he thought he did.

* * *

"What did you think would happen if you didn't pay me in time?" the man growled, leaning uncomfortably close to Liam's face. The familiar peppermint smell of gum floated in front of Liam, but the man wasn't chewing on anything. He must've spit it out recently.

Liam didn't respond to the loan shark's question, trying to concentrate on what his enemy's name was. He could only remember the middle man he had worked with, going by the name of a Mister Doe. The man must've thought he was funny, but Liam definitely wasn't laughing now.

"Don't act like your deaf." the loan shark sighed, standing up straight and pacing around Liam. Liam thought hard, wanting to know the name of his murderer before he died. He wanted to, at least, remember who was the demon that killed his brother.

"No point in answering." Liam mumbled.

"This because of your little, baby brother, isn't it." the man chuckled, continuing his circling around Liam. "But, really, who's going to remember him anyway? It didn't look like you guys were too close. I can't help that terror brings family together! It's too late for all that anyway. He's probably dead." Liam cringed at the last statement, biting his tongue to keep from shouting.

The name came to him.

"Kasey." Liam stated. The man looked at him with a quirked eyebrow. Liam stayed silent; he hadn't meant to say it out loud. He was quite certain that a simple name wasn't going to intimidate this loan shark.

"So, you know my name. Fantastic." Kasey chuckled. "Now we aren't strangers anymore. This makes things much more comfortable." Liam grimaced at how casual the man was acting, irritated by how much of a joke this seemed to be. It was hard to even think that, not too long ago, Eli was going cold in his arms. This wasn't a joke. Liam's brother was probably dead. _Dead_. The silly little brother that he spent his life with could be soulless and empty.

Life was being all too fair to him.

* * *

_Author's Note: Epic thinking, Liam. Epic thinking...well, I am plowing through the writer's block better and better as the story progresses. Please don't give up on me! I hope the story turns out exciting. I think it's almost time I move to another fandom..._


	12. Nudge the Bucket

_**Disclaimer: I don't own "Lie to Me."**_

_Author's Note: I finally got another chapter done! Phew! Yes, I mentally slapped myself in the face and forced myself to sit down and write this! Hope it's exciting and that it was worth the wait...SORRY FOR PROCRASTINATING! If you've got the time, please review. ^^'**  
**_

* * *

**12. Nudge the Bucket**

Cal stared at Virginia Blakely with the blankest stare possible. He remembered the feeling of hate and anger when Reynolds got the call only a half an hour before. They found her coming out of a mini mart with a diet soda and a pompous look on her face. As he stood in the cube, staring at her, he wished that he could read her mind and find the answers he needed.

"Nice act." Cal muttered, giving her a smirk. He didn't want her to know how vexed he was right now. She smirked spitefully, anything but intimidated by the Englishman.

"I try my best." she replied in a smooth voice. She was good, that was certain. Cal couldn't help but be impressed, but that wasn't easing his anxiousness and anger in the least bit.

"Just tell us where your partner is. Tell us where he took those two men." he commanded in a harsh, though quiet, voice.

"Partner? Puh-lease. That jerk is not my partner." she scoffed. "Besides, what reason do I have to tell you?" Cal sighed and circled the metal table slowly.

"A good conscience?" he mumbled. She cocked her head to the side, the look on her face meaning she hadn't heard his small comment. "Look, we need to find the men he took."

"Bah, everybody _needs_ something. That jerkwad _needs_ me to do this 'little job' for him, and now you _need_ me to help find those guys. Who are they anyway?" she chuckled jokingly, looking at him with a sort of jesting expression. He frowned and stared at her for a good while in silence. Cal kept his gaze as he slowly turned and quietly planted his hands on the table. He leaned in to her, her face steadily losing the traces of a good joke.

"They are sons of two parents that love and care for their sons, who are mourning within five hundred feet of where you're sitting. They are victims of some awful mistakes. These _guys_ that the _jerkwad_ took are _people_, you heartless bitch."

The woman stared at him with her mouth gaping open, obviously never thinking of such thought. Cal could plainly see on her face how much of a fool she felt. He watched as she gulped down the guilt lumped in her throat.

"If you catch him, you're going to put away the guy I worked with, right?" she inquired, gazing up at Cal with pondering eyes.

"What sort of person would I be if I didn't?" he answered, looking at her expectedly. She was about to crack; she wasn't really the type of girl to let innocent people suffer. This girl was just one of the poor creatures that was stuck in the wrong sort of thing.

"Alright, then I'll help you." she sighed, hunching her shoulders in a sort of shame. "If you get rid of my problem, then I'll help you with yours."

* * *

"Are you still getting all worked up over you brother?" Kasey chuckled, shaking his head. "Look, you've got to get over that. I mean, it was your fault after all." Liam looked up at him, a look of defiance and loathing in his eyes. Kasey smirked and paced slowly in front of Liam, his hands jammed in his pockets.

"It seems to me that Eli is the good brother. But, you have to understand that you can't just go wasting money and expect everything to turn out all peachy." Kasey laughed. "I don't know why everybody thinks loan sharks are so terrible. We're teaching people good lessons, even if we are a bit…harsh. Besides, killing your brother is putting him out of the misery of dealing with you and all your money issues." Kasey stopped, his brow coming together in a puzzled expression while he stared at the ceiling. "Well, let's be honest: what sort of brother would dump all his problems on his sibling? That's cruel. I mean, my brothers and I fight, but it's nothing more than a little argument. I would never turn them over to any hostile threat."

"So, what does that make you? The good guy?" Liam growled, his voice getting raspy and rough.

"Look, I'm just putting you boys out of your misery. You, my friend, are very deep into some serious issues. I'm pretty sure a therapist wouldn't know where to begin with you." Kasey joked, a strange sparkle in his eyes. "Besides, I'm tired of hearing you say 'one more week!' When I say I want my money, I want my money."

Liam looked at the floor, his stomach squirming uncomfortably. He could smell the peppermint breath again, and one glance told him that Kasey was leaning in close.

"This is your fault; remember that." he muttered. Liam's face immediately changed to anger, his body reacting before his mind. With a quick kick of his leg, he tripped Kasey, shoving his heavy shoes against his offender immediately. Although his kicks were a little weak, they were somewhat satisfying. It would give the prick a taste of what Eli went through to get that money.

A fist flew out of nowhere, snapping Liam's head to the right. One of the lackeys must've stepped up to protect their cash machine. Kasey pushed himself off the ground, brushing some dirt off his face and suit. He stood up slowly, glaring at Liam.

"Alright, so we both know that you don't like me and I don't like you. I would say it's nothing personal, but it really is and I don't like to lie if I don't have to." he sighed. "Truth is, both you and your brother were screwed when you didn't have the money on that last deadline. I can't be lax in my business; I have to make an example of a problem like you. I'm a punctual person, Mr. Loker, and I don't like to wait." Liam was silent as he narrowed his eyes with a poisonous glare.

"Although, Liam…you're brother is quite the admirable soul." Kasey chuckled, slipping his hands into his pockets and circling Liam with a casual air. "He still fought for you in the end. The kid took a knife for you. Now if _that_ isn't serious brotherly love, then I'm a harmless kitten." Liam pursed his lips in grief, trying to stiffen a trembling lip. Eli was the heroic type when it mattered; Liam just didn't want it to be for him. He didn't want his kid brother to die for him. He didn't want Eli to die at all.

But he had lost his say in things a long time ago.

"I'm afraid I'm feeling a bit hungry. So, we're going to take a break. When I come back, the real fun begins." Kasey explained with a grin. "Sit there; think about what you've done, blah blah blah and all that good stuff." He twisted on his heel and walked out of the room, his henchmen following behind him.

"I hope Butch picked up some burgers. I feel like eating something fattening." Kasey announced as the door closed behind him. Liam could vaguely hear their conversation, but he wasn't listening. How could he? This was it. This was the end of his sorry life. He never really accomplished anything: never met a girl he actually loved; never owned a dog; he just never did…anything. Eli had done a lot more than he had, but, to be honest, he hadn't really _lived_. The kid graduated from MIT and got hired by one of the most educated men he'd ever heard of. He was good at what he did, but he hadn't done much outside of work besides eat and sleep. At least, Liam hadn't heard of anything. Then again, they never really talked.

Liam felt like he'd been trapped there for hours. Kasey had been blabbering to him for awhile, trying to make him feel guilty for what he did and bring him to an all time low. He succeeded easily. It wasn't hard to; Liam already felt like dirt with everything that happened.

Guess it was time to give up.

Liam let his head drop, the ultimate sign of defeat. He sighed and let the world suffocate him. He didn't think, he didn't speak, he just listened with his eyes closed. Liam wanted to forget that he even existed for the moment. He didn't mind the silence; it was almost soothing.

At least until the footsteps.

Was Kasey coming back so easily? He must've changed his mind or maybe he wasn't satisfied with how he'd left Liam. But it didn't seem to make sense. Kasey had no reason to be quiet and he seemed more like the type to make noise to intimidate his victims. These footsteps were deliberately soft and slow.

Something else was going on, he just knew it.

* * *

Cal followed closely behind Ben, his fingers clenched with an urge to kill. Foster and Torres tread silently at the rear, wary of every shadow and noise as they ventured the dimly lit hallway. They all wore bulletproof vests, since it was the only thing that Ben firmly required of them. He had tried to keep them outside, but Cal wasn't about to give up without a fight. The Englishman threatened to go in alone and Ben just couldn't allow that to happen. Even if he locked Lightman up, he believed that the lunatic would find a way to escape.

Ben told SWAT to be cautious and quiet in their approach. The place was big enough that the perps could bolt out another way if they were spooked, but most of the rooms had no windows. Even if they were slow when opening each door, the suspects had no way of escape once they blocked the single opening.

So far, every room had been empty and there were no signs of Liam or Eli. Cal was getting frustrated and worried with every lifeless room, his hope dwindling with each step. How long had it been since their abduction? Was it already too late?

SWAT moved to open another door, one man noiselessly twisting the knob as another greased the old hinges. They couldn't risk a single creak or squeak if they wanted to catch this Kasey person. Virginia had told them everything they needed to know, and it was time to keep their end of the bargain.

Catch Kasey.

Cal held his breath as the door opened slowly, practically killing him with suspense. No matter what was inside the room, the agonizing anticipation was the same. He could only hope that there was something worthwhile on the other side. This time there was.

Liam Loker stared at them from the other side, his eyes widening as he realized what this meant. Foster gasped behind Cal, unable to take such cruelty. Liam was tied to a chair, a black eye settling into the right of his face and blood crusting onto his pant leg. Lightman almost hoped the blood was Liam's.

"You…" Liam whispered, swallowing hard while I tried to think of what to say. Foster rushed forward to check on his condition while Ben went to untie the poor man. But they didn't notice when Liam started to cry.

"Are you okay?" Ria asked quietly, suspicious of what the tears meant. His expression wasn't just scared or even of a man that went through serious trauma. It suggested more than that and she didn't know how she could tell.

"Why didn't you come earlier?" he croaked, staring at her with questioning eyes. "Why didn't you come when Eli needed you?" Ria gazed at him with speechless shock, hoping he didn't mean what she thought he meant. No…no, Eli couldn't be dead. She looked to Cal, seeing the same look of dread on his guise as he slumped with grief. Even in the dim light, she could see the color drain out of his face. She knew she probably looked just as pale. She turned back to Liam.

"Is he…?" she questioned, her sentence trailing off as she struggled to say the last word.

"I don't know." he sobbed. "That's the worst part; I don't even know."

Ben finished untying Liam from his chair, allowing his arms to fall limply to his sides. Cal shook himself from his thoughts, trying to focus on their careful mission.

"Tell us where he is." he hissed, eager to find the answer to the one big question. Was Eli alive? That's what he had been working so hard on the case for. He was determined to find his employee still breathing and he wouldn't know what to do if Eli was…dead. He couldn't be dead; it wasn't an option.

Liam looked up at Cal with sad eyes, pushing himself up from his chair slowly and carefully as he winced. They looked at him with confusion, unsure of what he was going to do.

"I'll show you." he whispered. He walked carefully out of the room with SWAT behind him, seeming to understanding the fragile state of the infiltration. Still, he was fearless. He walked tall and never hesitated, guiding them with perfect knowledge. After all, it had been running through his mind since they separated him from his brother.

Cal could tell Liam would run if he could; he was already walking as fast as his weary body could push him and every sign of desperation marked the miserable man. When Liam stopped in front of a door they all forgot how to breathe. SWAT took over the careful opening of the door, gently shoving Liam aside. They opened the door with the same care as all the others, practically killing Cal and his team. Finally, it was just a gaping doorway.

Their hearts stopped when they looked inside.

* * *

_Author's Note: I suppose this is where the dramatic music steps in. Is he dead? Ooooor not? Oh dear, I'm so cruel with the cliffhangers. Thanks for reading! Please review? _


	13. Love Hurts

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Lie to Me (obviously...).**_

_Author's Note: Hm, yes, this was a kind of difficult chapter to write, but I got it done! Sorry for the lagging. I go to school in Hawaii and we had that tsunami watch and then all of a sudden all these final papers and exams are popping up! I really should of just wrote all night the night of the tsunami watch, because I seriously didn't sleep. Thanks for your patience, all those who are still faithful... Hope this story is worth it!**  
**_

* * *

**13. Love Hurts**

Liam slid his way through the door way, dragging himself along as quickly as he could until he collapsed to his knees besides Eli. Eli was as still and pale as he remembered, the light of life sucked right out of him.

"No!" Foster breathed, her whisper echoing around the silent, cement room. She rushed to Eli's side, tears already filling her eyes. With a single blink, they slid down her face, dropping onto Loker's motionless face. Not a flinch, not a groan…nothing.

She looked to her teammates, desperate for any sort of help. Ria stood with her hands covering her mouth, shocked into stillness. Cal simply stared, trying to process the information like the scientist he was. Ben bowed his head for a moment, a renewed determination set in his face.

"We have to keep moving." he whispered to Cal. Lightman shook out of his momentary stillness, nodding slightly to send Ben off with SWAT. "I'll call an ambulance." Ben mumbled before following the heavily armed team. As the group ran down the hall in silence, Cal stepped cautiously further into the room. He wasn't sure if this was actually real. Still, it was hard to avoid the tells of Liam's face.

Liam had the look of a man that accepted death long ago. He looked like he had reluctantly given up hope, nearly expecting his brother to never return.

"He was the only one that never let me forget what I was doing wrong." Liam whispered, wiping away the silent tears in his eyes.

"It's not too late." Gillian huffed, finally having the courage to check for a pulse. She couldn't help the small, upward tug at the corner of her lips. Eli wasn't gone yet. "He's still alive; there's still a chance he'll make it through this!" Liam was quiet, but Cal read him perfectly. Liam was angry, as if he was shouting, "how dare you give me false hope!"

"You don't know the outcome yet." Cal seconded, just as Ria pulled herself further into the room. "I've never known Loker to give up when it really mattered."

"Well, this isn't one of your little games, Dr. Lightman." Liam spat. "This isn't a test of his loyalty to you or your company. This is life and death, and I'm pretty sure the odds are against him." Cal stared at Liam with a questioning look in his eyes. Games? He looked to Ria, who quickly averted her gaze. She knew what he meant, but Cal wasn't entirely sure. Eli had never truly complained to him; he always took the punishment he was given. Cal took a deep breath as he looked at the pale face on the floor.

He probably didn't complain when he was left to die in a cold, cement room. But that didn't mean he deserved it.

Cal watched as Liam lovingly lifted his brother's head into his lap and gently rubbed away a smear of blood on Eli's face. Gillian gingerly inspected the bloody stain that had seeped through the makeshift bandage, probably praying there was something else she could do. But what could they do? Torres was hugging herself in an effort to find comfort, sadly not finding any in the warmth of her own limbs.

Things were impossibly calm.

Cal could hardly believe it. He would've expected more sobbing; more exclamations of how unfair things were; more frantic attempts to fix things. But everything was painfully lacking of theatrics. Everyone was reacting on a secret they wouldn't share: these could be Eli's last few moments. It was like everyone understood there was nothing they could do; they knew there was no reason to make this more painful than it already was. Was Cal the only one seeing a light at the end of the tunnel?

Shouts and crashes floated down the hallway, though it barely affected the team. They felt as though they were numbing, like their bodies were trying to cushion the shock of events around them. Cal wanted to smile in triumph at the pleading yells and unsympathetic replies, yet he didn't feel like he won. Not this time.

* * *

Eli woke up to an odd light beaming through the inky darkness. He was much stiffer now and he wanted more than anything to go back to sleep and forget the strange pains ailing his body.

_"Don't go to sleep."_

Eli squinted his eyes against the light, searching for whoever was speaking to him. The voice was familiar to him, but he couldn't quite place where. It was a child, his words echoing across the normally black chasm.

_"Eli, stay awake! You can't leave mom and dad with me! I'm not the responsible kid!"_

Eli narrowed his eyes as he continued to look for the voice's owner.

"Liam?" he questioned, unsure if he was truly hearing a younger version of his brother; the age when he still admired his brother.

_"Yeah, how could you forget me? I'm the only brother you have, after all."_

"What…? Where am I?" Eli inquired, trying to make sense of the situation. Nothing was adding up right; everything was wrong.

_"All you have to do is stay awake."_ Liam's tiny voice answered. _"If you go back to sleep, then we can't do any more fun things together. Besides, mom and dad still need you around. When they get all old and crinkly, who's going to take care of them? I mean, I could, but you know I'm not good at that kind of stuff."_

"What do you mean?" Eli asked slowly, bringing up a heavy hand to rub his eyes.

_"Just trust me, E. You want to stay awake. I promise you won't regret it, little bro. I _promise_."_ Liam told him in his attempt at a serious tone. Eli was suspicious to any of Liam's sentences that held 'promise,' but he could hear a sort of genuine tone to it. What would it hurt if he kept his eyes open for a little longer? But what did it hurt if he didn't? He saw no danger.

He laid back down, curling up into a ball to fend off the light as he shut his eyes.

_"Eli, don't go to sleep! You need to stay awake!"_

Eli didn't know what to believe.

* * *

Liam sat away from the rest of the team, absentmindedly rubbing at his bandaged wrists. He didn't care much about the pain or the throbbing in his skull. It was nothing next to the agony drilling into his head. He could hardly stand to look at the any of Eli's coworkers, knowing full well that it was his fault that they were in this situation in the first place. Ben had gone to get his parents, which had struck him with a fear he had never known before. He had never looked for his parents' approval, but facing them had never sounded so frightening before. Liam was frightened of being blamed and stared down with looks of disappointment. What would his mother say? What would his father say? He could barely think about it, especially when it was coupled with thoughts of Eli's death.

They had been waiting for only a half an hour, but they felt as if days had gone by while time rebelled against their will. Eli Loker couldn't give up today.

"Oh, Liam!"

Liam looked up to find his mother rushing towards him with her arms wide open. His father walked behind her, looking tired but smiling sadly at his son. In some ways, Liam believed this treatment to be worse than a lifelong shunning. He almost wished that someone would slap him on the wrist for what he had done to his younger brother, but he was being treated undeservedly well. It felt like he wasn't being allowed to condone for his sins. Andy hugged him tightly, despite the pained look he'd given her. Joseph sat beside his son and placed a comforting hand on his back. They had always been this way to both their sons. Eli and Liam never had a shortage of comfort when they needed it. Whether it was the loss of their grandfather or a particularly cutting remark from a classmate, their parents never skimped on letting them know how much they loved them. They always offered words of wisdom, even if they were ignored, and punished them in a way that they would understand the error of their ways, but wouldn't feel victimized by their parents. Andy and Joseph only brought out real anger when they had done something horribly wrong or had scared them out of their wits.

Liam wanted this situation to be one of the times his parents despised him. He deserved it and he knew it.

"I'm sorry, mom." he mumbled into her shoulder. She pulled away from him and met his eyes. "I guess I kind of…screwed up." Andy shook her head with a small smile.

"We all make mistakes." she replied, trying to blink away her tears. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"But, I mean, I really screwed up. _I'm _the reason Eli is in the hospital." he explained, trying to somehow incite his parents' need to affirm his guilt.

"What do you want us to say?" Joseph asked, squeezing Liam's shoulder gently. "There's no point in teaching someone who already learned their lesson. We can't deny that you made poor choices, but you aren't the reason he's here. _You_ weren't the one that beat him up and _you_ didn't force Eli to help you. Eli helped you because he cares about you and that man, Kasey, did those things because he's that sort of man." Liam felt like he was five again, allowing his parents to break down whether or not it was his fault. Then again, maybe he was five in his maturity level.

"Eli's tough. You know that as much as I do." Joseph continued. "He's not going to give up without a fight, we can depend on that."

Liam smiled weakly, unsure if he could believe his father. Joseph always had a way of making things seem better than they actually were. It was how he managed to gulp down green vegetables and make it through the first day of school as a child. Joseph had magic powers. It wasn't necessarily by the things he said, but rather the way he had looked at his sons. Liam never told him, but Eli had a similar effect on him. Still, he wasn't going to let his kid brother rule over him.

Liam would give anything to let Eli boss him around now.

"You would rather have Eli here than me." Liam sighed, bowing his head in shame. He knew his parents had always been disappointed with him and it was just their luck that they were stuck with the bad egg. Andy's brow furrowed as she exchanged a glance with Joseph.

"Look at me, Liam." she urged in a firm tone. Reluctantly, he brought his eyes up to meet hers, finding a certain quiet insistence in them. "We have never loved you less than Eli. Different, yes, because we worried and we prayed and we hoped you would come home safely. But we never loved you less. You are our son and you mean the world to us."

Liam tried his best to fend off tears.

* * *

Gillian watched the small family with sorrowful eyes. Liam looked miserable, even more so in the presence of his sympathetic parents. She could understand his grief; she knew that the only thing that might help him would be stern word from Eli. Foster could tell how much of an influence Eli actually had on his brother, even if it was hardly noticeable by others. Liam truly cared about his younger sibling, he just didn't think things through.

"It makes you wonder what you never knew about Loker." Cal mumbled beside her. She raised her eyebrows a bit while she blinked away the surprise. Foster didn't think Cal thought about those things, but she could see how recent events could push him into unusual reflections. Ria had gone to get a drink of water, leaving the two doctors alone.

"I suppose." she answered, silently urging him to continue. The psychiatrist in her was coming out, waiting for Cal to voice his feelings and ideas. She just wanted to let him drop the burden in his mind. This was his chance to be her patient again, without other ears listening in.

"I didn't even think about what problems he might've had at home. To me, he's just some bloke from MIT with the behavior of a carefree man." Lightman sighed, obviously realizing his mistake. "I honestly didn't think about what kind of childhood he had either." Foster nodded softly as she stared at the floor.

"Sometimes it's hard to guess what kind of life someone had based on what you see." she explained. "You're so used to the visual of the moment; it might be hard for you to imagine what happened to Eli before he came to the Lightman Group. Factors like MIT and his degree create the automatic assumption that he's had a somewhat cushy, good life. I don't think any one of us suspected what kind of life he had. I think we all thought he was always happy."

Cal looked over to Gillian, seeing his same feelings reflected in her face. He wasn't the only one caught off guard by all this. Eli wasn't the one in his team he ever expected to land in the hospital; Cal usually put Gillian and Ria in more danger than he ever did to his lead researcher. He remembered how surprised he was to see Loker all beat up once and Eli told him it was all because of research. Cal vaguely remembered explaining that when they did what they do right, he should expect that kind of situation, but Cal had never truly wanted it that way. Since Loker wasn't too seriously hurt at the time, Cal took pride in how committed his employee was to the science. Cal should have been more worried; he should've recognized what sorts of problems would come from Eli's devotion. Loker was more dedicated than Ria was, as she seemed to be at the company just to get out of her old life and she relied too much on her natural ability to concentrate on learning all she could.

"Why did he try so hard?" Cal whispered and shook his head. Foster turned to look at him, somewhat confused.

"Try so hard for what?" she inquired quietly.

"Why did he try so hard to read expressions? He wasn't actually hired for that kind of work; he's the lead researcher, he was never hired to be part of the science like we are." Cal pondered. Gillian thought for a moment, her brow slightly furrowed as a memory floated to mind.

"It's how he deals with negative feelings." she muttered simply. "Andy told me he always studied when he was upset with Liam." Cal looked over at her, her new information filling in chunks of missing ideas and explanations. He'd always thought that Eli worked harder when he was angry with Lightman, but only because he was trying to prove his worth. Now it made sense; Eli was just trying to deny his feelings of frustration by burying them in study and work.

"Family of Eli Loker?"

* * *

_Author's Note: Oh, snap, you still don't even know how Eli is. Baha! I could kill him, for all you know. Frightening, eh? Please review. :)_


	14. Laughter is the Best Medicine

_**Disclaimer: Yeppers, don't own "Lie to Me."**_

_Author's Note: Sorry this took so long, guys. And I apologize if it isn't the best chapter I've ever written, but this is the last chapter. I just have to end it because I've lost the inspiration for this baby...Hope it's decent and thanks for those that stuck out until the end. :)_

* * *

**14. Laughter is the Best Medicine**

"Family of Eli Loker?"

The team couldn't get up fast enough. But the Lokers were slower, cautious to the possible pain that stood before them. The doctor was a pretty, middle-aged woman with sandy-colored hair and blue scrubs. Still, even in her innocent looks, she represented awful horrors. The surgeon looked to Joseph, as she could recognize the obvious similarities between him and the patient.

"Of course, your son is still in surgery, but we'd like to give you an update on his condition." she explained in a gentle tone. "Mr. Loker is suffering from a deep knife injury and serious blood loss. He also has extensive bruising and cracked ribs. Fortunately, the bruising he received helped slow the blood loss, but the knife injury has done a number to his system. We will stitch up the wound immediately and start him on a blood transfusion, but…" The doctor paused looking down at her clipboard, trying to keep a hold of herself. She didn't realize she was in the presence of deception experts.

"But what?" Cal persisted, shifting his stance while he diligently kept his gaze on her.

"But we can't promise that Mr. Loker will recover from the blood loss. His body went a long time with too little blood in his system and expecting a full recovery is a very optimistic diagnosis." she explained quietly, glancing between the Lokers and the team with a look of sympathy. "It is possible that his organs may have sustained some damage as a result of his blood loss." Cal wasn't sure he understood what she was saying, but a piece of him heard the hidden message of her report. He glanced at the Lokers and his coworkers, reading similar feelings in their faces. He wasn't the only one to notice.

"What does that mean?" Joseph inquired, despite the masculine fear in his features. The surgeon was hesitant to answer, looking like an inexperienced giver of bad news.

"He may…He may not make it." she mumbled, an apologetic look in her eyes. "I'm sorry."

Nobody said anything. They _couldn't_ say anything. Their minds were blank, then suddenly shocked with emotion. Could he…die? No, that can't be—

No, Eli could really die.

Liam could hardly handle the realization. His lungs began to work against a strange feeling of suffocation. It was as if he couldn't get enough oxygen, but that couldn't be it. His chest began pulsing with pain, but he couldn't stop hyperventilating.

"Liam?" Andy crooned, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Liam, are you alright?" Liam wanted to do what he had always done: he wanted to tough it out and pretend everything was fine. But there was something wrong.

He shook his head as he wrapped an arm around his ribs.

"We need some help over here!" the surgeon called, immediately acting as she glanced around for an empty gurney. Nurses rushed over with professional expressions, a couple dragging an open gurney towards the group.

"Please, step aside and allow us some room." the surgeon requested, gently pushing Andy away from her son as the others took a few steps back. She guided the Liam towards the gurney, being careful but quick. The surgeon lifted up his shirt and softly probed his chest with swift hands.

"Looks like a punctured lung. We need to get this man into surgery_ now_!" she yelled urgently, giving the first shove of the gurney while the nurses followed. Andy wanted to call out, but she couldn't find her voice. Her brain was filling with new worries, cramming with shouts of concern; it was going into overload.

"Andy!" Joseph shouted, catching Andy as she collapsed, fainting from the anxiety. Gillian rushed forward to help Joseph move his wife towards one of the hospital couches. Just when they thought things couldn't get worse, they did.

* * *

"Go away, Liam. I'm sleepy. Can't a bro get some shut eye?" Eli growled.

_"No. A bro can't get some shut eye. Not right now! I know we don't get along anymore, but I think we should start over. I remember mom mumbling something about how important it is when you first meet someone or something…so let's just start over." _Liam suggested. Eli squinted towards the distant orb of light, trying to express his views on the idea. It was weird. But, then again, that was Liam.

"Alright, fine. How do you suggest we start over?" Eli grumbled, blinking away the tired burn in his eyes.

_"Hey, I'm Liam Loker." _Liam greeted cheerfully. Eli stared blankly at the mystery light, slightly annoyed at this antic. _"Come on, Eli, introduce yourself to everyone."_

"You're the only one here." Eli chuckled, unable to help himself.

_"Psh! Introduce yourself!" _Liam pressed.

"Uh…I'm Eli."

_"Eli what?"_

"Loker. Eli Loker."

_"Bond. James Bond_." Liam teased, his voice echoing around the empty blackness.

"So far, you're the exact same Liam I know. This isn't starting over, it's just retracing." Eli laughed. He was trying to be annoyed with Liam, but hearing his brother's ten-year-old voice just reminded him of all the things he liked about him. Liam was charismatic and warm in this strange blackness. It was everything Liam had always been. It was the part of his brother that had never changed, even if his intentions had morphed into something ugly.

_"Alright, alright! But at least you're laughing._" Liam giggled. He was always obsessed with laughing. If something didn't make him laugh, then there was no point in participating. He had never been to a funeral. _"Oh! Oh! Eli! Let's go!" _Liam exclaimed excitedly. An invisible force tugged on Eli's wrist towards the mysterious light. Eli was thoroughly confused. Where was he going? Why couldn't he just stay here?

_"Come __**on**_**!" **Liam shouted, the pull on Eli's wrist stronger and more demanding. The last thing Eli remembered was that he was diving face first into blinding brightness.

* * *

"He's awake!"

"Are you sure?"

"I saw him flinch."

"I saw it too, Cal."

"Surprised you missed it, really."

The voices sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place where he'd heard them before.

"Oh, thank heavens!"

Mom?

"Well, he is my brother, isn't he?"

He knew that voice. It sounded weak, tired; it was sucked dry of everything that made that voice Liam's. Eli's eyes slid open to investigate. The first thing he saw was his parent's standing over the right of his bedside, their faces lined with worry beneath their smiles. Why were they here? He hadn't seen them for a couple years, but seeing them now, he realized how much he missed them.

"Mom? Dad?" he croaked.

"Oh, of course mom is always the first to come out of his mouth." Joseph chuckled, trying to blink back the tears threatening to flood his eyes. Eli smirked; his father even looked wise and intimidating when he tried not to cry. His mother wasn't even attempting to hold back the water works. At least she wasn't blubbering, that's all he could've hoped for.

His eyes wandered further, searching for more answers. He was in the hospital. That could explain the dull throbbing of his body. Yeah, that's right; Liam was in trouble and he had tried to help.

He was stabbed.

Eli had always thought he would be lit on fire, or broken his neck before he was stabbed. Now he had something he could brag about; a scar to show the ladies. The details were a little hazy, but he was pretty certain he didn't want clarification. It was perfectly fine with him if he lived in ignorance.

His gaze found his team at the foot of his bed, smiling. Eh…Ria and Gillian were smiling. Lightman was more along the lines of a creepy smirk. But that was his boss; he always aimed to scare.

"You look like hell." Cal stated. Eli couldn't help but grin. He knew it was Lightman's weird way of saying, "I'm glad you survived."

"Thanks, so do you." Eli laughed weakly. There was still one person that wasn't accounted for and Eli slowly roved his eyes over the rest of the room.

Liam was in the hospital bed next to him.

"How the hell did you get there?" Eli croaked urgently. Liam smirked sadly and dropped his eyes to the floor.

"Punctured lung. I guess I hyperventilated when I thought you were going to die." Liam mumbled. Eli stared at his sibling for a moment, unsure if he was actually telling the truth or not. He almost wanted to believe that he wasn't…but the signs were all there. Liam Loker was telling the truth for once in his life.

"Sorry to hear that." Eli muttered. What else was he going to say? For his whole life, the Loker brothers would tease each other and brag about their battle wounds. It was never serious. Why did it still have to be?

Eli inspected Liam for a moment, staring at every bruise on his brother's face. Every cut, every purple mark, every single thing. And then, suddenly, he just started laughing. It wasn't strong or loud, but it was a laugh. Liam looked at Eli with an alarmed look on his face; Eli had finally gone mad, he just knew it.

"Why are you laughing?" Liam demanded, but his voice wasn't nearly as powerful as it should've been.

"Because I was remembering the time you broke your arm falling off the top bunk and then told everybody you got it in after landing badly flying off a five foot jump with your dirt bike." Eli chuckled. "You didn't even have a dirt bike."

"I hardly think this is a time for laughing." Liam pouted, his cheeks slightly reddening. Eli smiled as he watched his brother. Maybe it was time they started over; maybe it was about time they became brothers again. After all, Eli's childhood was the best thing that ever happened to him.

"Well, laughing was the first thing you taught me." Eli replied.

_THE END._

* * *

_Author's Note: I hope that worked out for everybody. But I was just struggling with this story for so long and it's about time that I ended it. Tell me what you think! Thanks, guys.  
_


End file.
